Teacher

Education for Community Development

Teacher Education for Community Development: Haiti (TECD) is a collaboration between the
Organization of American States: Department of Education, Culture and Human Development
(OAS) and Teachers Without Borders (TWB). It is distinguished by its special focus:

Its target population: Haitian educators who, at present, possess insufficient teacher
professional development and who reside primarily in rural areas;

Its emphasis on local support: The engagement of mentors, peers, community resources,
and affiliations in order to ensure a virtuous cycle of continuous improvement;

Its direct connection to teaching practice: A curriculum designed around thoughtful

discussion and active, practical, and immediate classroom application.

We all want children to be creative, community-minded, academically competent, optimistic, and

confident in their ability to shape their future. Unfortunately, very few teacher education

programs make the effort to apply these very same aspirations to the practical induction and
ongoing professional development of teachers. This program aligns both by synthesizing time-
honored teaching traditions with proven contemporary research into what works in classrooms.
The content that follows can stand alone or work in a modular fashion. At the same time, no
single teacher guide such as ours can serve the multitude of challenges Haiti faces or substitute
for a well-conceived vision for teacher professional development. It was designed to be shaped,
crafted, and interpreted just as a ceramic artist shapes clay, a poet crafts words, or a dancer
interprets music by the very community of teachers that interacts with it. It honors the
teaching profession by focusing attention on children.
Teachers Without Borders holds enormous respect for the pride, joy, and intelligence of the
Haitian people. We worked with volunteer Haitian teachers prior to the earthquake and created a
program connecting earthquake science with safety afterwards. Time after time, we witnessed
your commitment to learning. We wish to nurture that commitment, and so:
Teachers Without Borders shall provide The Organization of American States unrestricted
access to our entire catalogue of content and teacher professional development resources.

At the same time, no one can become a teacher simply by attending a few courses or workshops
or reading through the content. It takes practice in classrooms with mentors, colleagues, and
partners. It can only take root in talented individuals and inspired institutions. It works best
when connected to a larger picture that connects people, content, networks, and social change.
Only then may we accelerate change and sustain our momentum.
The Teacher Education for Community Development Initiative is yours as well. Paired and
integrated with our other courses and vetted content already available in French and Kryl, TECD
is a powerful tool for mentors and teachers. We plan to augment TECD with online and face-to-
face workshops run by Haitian mentors. We shall ensure that this content is made accessible in
through Canvas Instructure (a free online course platform), Scribd (a free online library), and CK-12
(a free online textbook website). We also hope to develop a radio show: The Voice of Haitian
Teachers, to popularize quality teacher development and to dignify the profession.
I wish thank a Haitian teacher, Mr. Fenel Pierre, a Fulbright scholar and dedicated professional,
who has engaged the hearts and minds of teachers throughout Haiti in 16 workshops reaching over
300 teacher leaders this past year alone.

Of course, none of this would be possible were it not for the vision and convening power of
passionate leaders at The Organization of American States. Let us all keep growing and learning for
todays generation and many more to come.
My warmest regards,


Dr. Fred Mednick
Founder, Teachers Without Borders
Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University

Program Structure

Each course or learning module contains the following components:

Objectives based upon quality teaching practices

Central questions that frame the learning path that follows

Learning paths comprised of readings, discussion, activities, and demonstrations

Student-centered lessons to promote meaningful learning

Practice in the safety of a community of fellow teacher learners

A means by which teachers can measure impacts and make improvements

What follows is merely an outline for teachers and mentors, including a wealth of Teachers
Without Borders resources you can use to customize your curriculum to meet the context, culture,
and communities you serve in Haiti.

Table of Contents

Course 1: Planning for Student Success ....................................................................................... 6
Course 2: Inclusive Classrooms ................................................................................................. 17
Course 3: Student Engagement for Success ............................................................................... 26
Course 4: Effective Assessment and Evaluation ......................................................................... 46
Course 5: Teacher Leaders as Community Agents of Change ................................................... 57
Additional Teachers Without Borders Courses & Resources ..................................................... 70
Example Workshop Plan in French ............................................................................................. 71
Grille DEvaluation ...................................................................................................................... 73

Course 1: Planning for Student Success

INTRODUCTION

The best teachers amongst us are passionate about their subjects and compassionate toward
children. They truly know, not just know about, their students. They track each students progress.
Where possible, they personalize the curriculum. They teach with joy. The expression on the faces
of these children says it all:
The best teachers amongst us create lessons that include three components: (1) a way in: by
engaging the imagination, the head, the hands, and the heart (2) a way through: by fostering
inquiry, guiding learning, and assessing skills, and (3) B a way out: by ensuring that what s/he has
taught and what students have learned prepares students for the next level, deeper learning, and
beyond. That is what all of our courses are about.

Objective
This module will guide the trainer to engage trainee teachers in different activities to grow their
awareness about the roles and responsibilities of a teacher in creating responsible citizens
committed to society, and promoting social inclusion. Throughout the whole session, getting
engaged in group work, pair work, presentation and self-reflection, trainee teachers will be able to
demonstrate and practice how to create a participatory, democratic and inclusive environment in
the classroom and will realize the importance of a student-centered approach of teaching for
meaningful learning which they will be able to apply in their own teaching. Participants will:

Plan student-centered lessons to promote meaningful learning.

Incorporate students competencies and skills in lesson planning.

Foster a participatory, democratic, and inclusive environment in the classroom through

exemplary preparation and planning

The central question is this: How can we plan and organize our lessons in order to create
effective and efficient teaching and learning?

WARM-UP ACTIVITY: WHO AM I? WHO ARE YOU? WHO ARE WE? (20 MINUTES)
Introduce yourself first by telling your name, how long you are in teaching profession and why you
have chosen this profession. Then tell the trainee teachers to introduce themselves and to talk
about why they have chosen this career. Tell them to think aloud about a precious moment for
them during their teaching practice and why it was so precious and to share it with the class.
[Instructions for the Facilitator]: Tell the trainees to form groups with 3 to 4 members in each.
Discuss the following ground rules to form and work in a group:

Form groups with mixed gender

Dont form groups with your friends

Everybody will have active participation during group discussion

Everyone needs to have a unique and active role during group work, e.g. one person
will write the chart, another will paste it on the wall/board and another person will
present it to the class

During different group works everyone should take turn to present

ACTIVITY: WHAT IS AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER? (60 MINUTES)

Goal: Discussion of what makes teachers effective.
The InterAgency Network for Education in Emergencies offers great teaching materials, whether
one is working in an emergency setting or not. Here is an exercise from one of their manuals:
[Notes for the Facilitator]: Draw these pictures on the board. Ask the participants which teacher
they are:






Give the students time to think. Dont interrupt and lecture. If this feels too abstract, give them
some suggestions: Ask the group how they have learned to teach. Do they assume that the child
knows nothing or do they build on what the child already has? Allow the discussion from this
question. Many teachers will say that the child knows nothing and that is their job to teach the
child. Ask if this is really so. What do they do if they discover that the child already knows the
content of the lesson?
Only when you can see that the students are really struggling, then get the discussion going with a
statement like this:
The water pot teacher is one who assumes that they have all the knowledge and they are there to
fill the student. Because most of us are trained to pass on content, it very often feels that this is
both true and right. However, we are only one part of the childs learning. Children learn from their
families, their friends and their society.
To use this water pot method can be very tiring. As a teacher you must be very sure that you know
everything and never make a mistake. You must be ready with the learning that the child needs
(because you cannot keep pouring water if the pot is full can you?) This type of teacher is not suited
for teaching peace education as this philosophy can lead to arrogance and the abuse of power. This
type of teaching means that the learner will always be reliant on a teacher to tell them what to
think and what to know. They can never become independent thinkers.
The helping the flowers teacher understands that there are other teachers in the life of the child.
These teachers also understand that their role is to help the child learn and eventually to learn
independently. This is an easier and more rewarding way to teach as the learning belongs to the
child. You are not expected to know everything you are expected to help children learn things that
they need to know.

We believe education cannot be a spectator sport and so we focus on helping the flowers.
Excellent lessons do just that. They find a way in, work their way through, and ensure that there is
a way out to the next level. Lets go deeper ourselves.
Characteristics of Excellent Teaching
If you look back to your school life and reflect about your teachers, you will find good teachers had
many special qualities. Here is what research consistently says about the aspects of great
teaching. Great teachers

Focus on the students, not you. You are not an expert in charge of giving students the
pill of knowledge. It does not work that way. In planning your lessons, think of what
the students will do, how they will discover, engage with, and use information, not how
you will perform.

Focus on who your students are. As the saying goes, It's who you know. The word
education comes from the Latin word educare meaning to grow and to rear. That is
what you are doing. The teachers and parents who know their children best are the
most effective. There is a big difference between just knowing about a child, and truly
knowing him or her. You have to know your students in order to understand how they
learn.

Make it safe. We cannot think when we are frightened. Your classroom and
environment must be free of intimidation. As we have stressed in our course policies,
striking a child destroys the spirit. Many times, that strike is an emotional one. We can
strike a child when we make an intimidating remark that destroys a child's willingness
to learn. Never embarrass a child in public.

Show Don't Tell. There are many dimensions to this. Telling is top down. Showing is
bottom up. That's the theme here. In terms of teaching, show students where they
are going, what they need to accomplish. Then show them how to get there. Provide
examples. Model it. Use it. Make it clear and real what it is they need to know in order
to get there. Are you teaching physics? Then show them the principle at work; show
them the dynamics; get them to figure out how and why. Critical thinking is not
about showing and repeating. Thats memorization. Its about showing a way.

Break it down, but don't break it apart. Great teachers make the unfamiliar familiar
again. Sometimes a concept is overwhelming. If that is the case, start with the
foundation and work your way up. People need to understand the story where it
starts, where it is headed, and what it will look like in the end. It is important, then, to
make things clear enough in small chunks, so that people can put together the pieces of
the puzzle. Thats the key. They are the ones that will assemble that puzzle.

Tell the truth. Many teachers believe that if they don't have all the answers, they're
worthless. No one has all the answers. If you answer a student with I don't know,
perhaps you can also extend it to Let's find out. Guide your students to become
collaborators in their own learning and co-explorers, with you, in the classroom. Invite
them to be subject matter experts. Students need authenticity, not awe. Thats critical
thinking.

Make it human. In designing curriculum, find out what makes people relate to it.
Mathematics was invented for a reason, so describe a problem it can solve a real one.
That builds critical thinking.

Questions are as good as answers. Good questions inspire critical thinking. A Nobel
Peace Prize winner once reported that, most days after school, he would return home
to sit near his mother at the kitchen table. She recalls that she never asked him, How
did you do? or What grade did you get? Instead, his mother asked him, Did you ask
any good questions today? Questions open up possibilities. They require answers, but
good answers raise even more questions. Instead of being a vicious cycle, its a
virtuous cycle. Critical thinking through good questions builds more critical thinking
and better questions.

Give students an opportunity to teach. A critical thinker does not just remain in
her/his head. We often write to learn, not just learn to write. You are learning to
teach. At the same time, both you and your students should teach in order to learn.
Allow opportunities for students to become experts in an area and to share their
expertise. Provide chances for older or more competent students to tutor younger or
less competent ones.

Think about how athletic coaches and artists work. The coach demonstrates what she
knows, explains the rules, gives the student an opportunity to practice, provides
feedback, and puts the student into real-life situations. So should a teacher. The artist
assembles materials, conceives of the piece, works at it in stages, and collects the work
for critique. So should the teacher. The athletic coach and the artist are non-traditional
teachers, and they have a great deal to offer all of us. Their techniques are the key to
many students who would otherwise not grasp the material from traditional lectures or
handouts.
ACTIVITY: CIRCLE AND DOT (60 MINUTES)

Materials: chairs and enough room for teachers to gather in small groups; poster-board and
markers. Gather in groups of 4-5 for the following activity in which teachers identify themselves
using a simple circle and a dot: Take a look at the image below:

Ask students to draw their own circle that represents their classroom or future
classroom (examples are the light blue circles, above)

Place a dot anywhere that represents you: the teacher (dark blue dots, above)

Above are examples of are four possibilities: a dot on the bottom edge, in the center,
near the top, and outside the circle:

Try to draw just one circle and make one dot.

Reflect: Now ask yourself, why did I put my dot there?

Share and Discuss: Please share your circle with others (in an open and honest way). You might
also want to discuss the following questions:

For you, what is the goal of teaching?

What do you believe in when you teach?

What kind of person do you want to be when you teach?

Why did you become (or wish to become) a teacher?

Present: Select one person to sum up the discussion with the entire group of teachers, using the
poster board.
PLANNING LESSONS: A WAY IN, A WAY THROUGH, AND A WAY OUT

A Way In
Teachers are able to determine what students know in order to build curiosity and readiness to
embrace new concepts. The key is to generate new ideas to problems, make connections, and
organize their thinking into a logical pattern.

How do you find out what students know?

What can you do to get students interested in the subject?

What activities can enable students to explore the issue?

How can students determine the difference between what they know and what they
can know?

What do I want students to learn?

What do I want them to understand and be able to do at the end of class?

What are the most important concepts, ideas, or skills I want students to be able to
grasp and apply?

If I ran out of time, what should not be omitted? Why?

Which ones could I skip if pressed for time?

A Way Through
Teachers help students focus their attention in order to study the subject more deeply. Teachers
introduce concepts, processes, and skills while learners explain what they know so that they may
test their assumptions.

How can the students build upon what they already know?

How do students monitor their learning?

How do students prove their competence at new levels?

How do students solve problems with new knowledge?

Keep an eye on your time. Include timing in the plan itself. The smooth running of your
lesson depends to some extent on proper timing.

Think about transitions from one activity to another. Make certain that students are
not confused

Include variety if things are not working the way you have planned.

Check for understanding all along the way. When we talk about assessment, we will
show you how.

A Way Out

Think about a relay race where one racer hands the baton to the other. The one
handing off the baton must look ahead to see where he/she is going, look behind to
see when and how to hand off the baton, and extend his/her hand just in time. The one
receiving the baton needs only to look ahead. S/he has to run to catch up. If the
runners are too fast or too slow, the whole team suffers. That is why we have to talk
with each other.

We not only have to plan that way, we have to make certain that our students can run
the race, too, so that they can move ahead or catch up if they are falling behind. The
key here is this: when you are designing your way in, think about:

What do I want them to take away from this particular lesson?

How might this lesson prepare students to take the next step?

ACTIVITY: BUILDING A LESSON PLAN (60-90 MINUTES)

In groups of 2, students can pick one lesson they are already teaching or create a new lesson using
the following basic outline: a way in, a way through, and a way out.

Teachers will each present a portion their lesson plan to the entire group as if they
were teaching the class

Teachers will then provide feedback on the lesson

Teachers presenting the lesson will have a chance to comment on the feedback

Please include the following in your lesson plan:

NAME of the LESSON

TIME for the LESSON

THREE OBJECTIVES of the LESSON (What you want them to learn)

SKILLS to REINFORCE or INTRODUCE

A WAY IN: Introduction and Activities

ASSESSMENT of STUDENT LEARNING

CONNECTION to the NEXT LESSON

For Your Planning

For a way in, you might start with a question or activity to determine your students knowledge of
the subject or their attitudes toward it. You could take a simple poll: How many of you have heard
of X? Raise your hand if you have. You can also gather background information from your students
prior to class by sending students an electronic survey or asking them to write comments on index
cards. This additional information can help shape your introduction, learning activities, etc. When
you have an idea of the students familiarity with the topic, you will also have a sense of what to
focus on.

Develop a creative introduction to the topic to stimulate interest and encourage

thinking. You can use a variety of approaches to engage students (e.g., personal
anecdote, historical event, thought-provoking dilemma, real-world example, short
video clip, practical application, probing question, etc.).

Consider the following questions when planning your way in:

How will I check whether students know anything about the topic or have any
preconceived notions about it?

What are some commonly held ideas (or possibly misconceptions) about this topic that
students might be familiar with or might espouse?

What will I do to introduce the topic?

For a way through, prepare several different ways of explaining the material (real-life examples,
analogies, visuals, etc.) to catch the attention of more students and appeal to different learning
styles. As you plan your examples and activities, estimate how much time you will spend on each.
Build in time for extended explanation or discussion, but also be prepared to move on quickly to

different applications or problems, and to identify strategies that check for understanding. These
questions would help you design the learning activities you will use:

What will I do to explain the topic?

What will I do to illustrate the topic in a different way?

How can I engage students in the topic?

What are some relevant real-life examples, analogies, or situations that can help
students understand the topic?

What will students need to do to help them understand the topic better?

For a way out, you will need to think about what students have learned and how they can apply it
to the next stage of their learning. The important thing is to keep asking yourself, how do you
know that students are learning? Think about specific questions you can ask students in order to
check for understanding, write them down, and then paraphrase them so that you are prepared to
ask the questions in different ways. Try to predict the answers your questions will generate. Decide
on whether you want students to respond orally or in writing. To help with this: ask yourself these
questions:

What questions will I ask students to check for understanding?

What will I have students do to demonstrate that they are following?

Going back to my list of learning objectives, what activity can I have students do to
check whether each of those has been accomplished?

Effective Use of Time

An important strategy that will also help you with time management is to anticipate students
questions. When planning your lesson, decide what kinds of questions will be productive for
discussion and what questions might sidetrack the class. Think about and decide on the balance
between covering content (accomplishing your learning objectives) and ensuring that students
understand.
Go over the material covered in class by summarizing the main points of the lesson. You can do this
in creative ways by creating games. By paying attention as you go, you will not be surprised later.
Conclude the lesson not only by summarizing the main points, but also by previewing the next
lesson. How does the topic relate to the one thats coming? This preview will spur students
interest and help them connect the different ideas within a larger context.
It is important to be realistic about time. We may not be able to cover all of the many points we
had planned to cover. A list of ten learning objectives is not realistic, so narrow down your list to
the two or three key concepts, ideas, or skills you want students to learn. Instructors also agree
that they often need to adjust their lesson plan during class depending on what the students need.
Great teachers make decisions on the spot and adjust their lesson plans as needed.

Having additional examples or alternative activities will also allow you to be flexible. A realistic
timeline will reflect your flexibility and readiness to adapt to the specific classroom environment.
Here are some strategies for creating a realistic timeline:

Estimate how much time each of the activities will take, then plan some extra time for
each

When you prepare your lesson plan, next to each activity indicate how much time you
expect it will take

Plan a few minutes at the end of class to answer any remaining questions and to sum
up key points

Plan an extra activity or discussion question in case you have time left

Be flexible be ready to adjust your lesson plan to students needs and focus on what
seems to be more productive rather than sticking to your original plan

BRIEF ACTIVITY: DISCUSSION ON BUILDING AND PRESENTING A LESSON PLAN
(20 MINUTES)

After lessons have been presented, ask students to reflect as a group on the challenges and new
insights they have gained. Ask them to recall the circles and dot exercise. Did it help?

CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS
We will explore this issue in greater detail throughout our time together. We will talk about
learning styles, multiple intelligences, and personalized instruction. For now, we are just
introducing the subject of planning for inclusiveness.
The classroom should be a beehive of activity. Students should be engaged in problem solving
activities. John Dewey once said, 'the only time we think is when we're given a problem'.

Arrange the Physical Space

What a classroom looks like has been shown to be very important and influences learning. You
may be teaching in a tiny space, full of desks and chairs or none at all. You may not have heat for
the cold days or a fan for the hot ones. The space matters a great deal. The classroom space
matters a great deal, and so we should plan accordingly. Most important: the feeling of including
everyone should be matched by a room that feels inviting and is set up for learning.
Below are several suggestions teachers and schools can use to arrange the physical space of a
classroom in order to facilitate inclusion:

Place Student Desks in Groups

Put desks in small groups (2-4 desks per group) so that all students have opportunities for
cooperative learning, collaboration and discussion. As well, place the teachers desk on the
periphery of the classroom. Teachers in an inclusive class rarely sit down during their day and dont

need their desk getting in the way!

Provide Centers and Meeting Spots

Centers appeal to various learning styles but they must also be accessible and open. As well, the
materials and manipulative at each center must be appropriate and stored where all students can
reach them. Placing books on a high shelf is limiting for a smaller student or one who is in a
wheelchair. Create one area of the classroom where the students can come together to have
discussions, develop social skills, and participate in large group activities. This space must have
enough room for all the students to gather.

Classroom Decor
An inclusive classroom needs to be decorated in a way that does not create distraction. Too many
bright colors, posters, clutter and furniture can easily distract the most focused child!

Safety/Emergency Preparedness
Ensure adequate space for all students to move safely around the room. Clear bulky items, stabilize
furniture, tape down wires and cables, and place signs/symbols around the room that point out
exit/entry ways in case of emergency.

ACTIVITY: THE PHYSICAL CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT (60 MINUTES)
How can you make your physical space inviting for students? Is there enough light, air, and color?
Do students feel noticed? Is it boring? Frightening? Is there enough room for physically disabled
students? Can blind students see, by being able to participate? Can hard-of-hearing students
hear by being able to participate?
ACTIVITY: SELF-REFLECTION (40 MINUTES)

What are your impressions about what you have learned so far? Feel free to write, draw,
dance, act out, or sing what you have learned or the feeling you have gained

How did you feel about this teaching approach?

Do you have more tools on how to create a physical space in your classroom so that your
students can learn?
Please share your answer with your colleagues

Course 2: Inclusive Classrooms

INTRODUCTION
Inclusive classrooms build peace, confidence, and hope. Inclusive classrooms are what students
remember long after they have left school. In an inclusive classroom, a child is noticed, encouraged,
academically challenged, and needed. If you as teachers take away only two concepts from this
course (inclusive classrooms and critical thinking), it will be a success beyond all measure. We also
strongly encourage teacher mentors to consult the many tested ideas of inclusive classrooms in
UNESCOs free download: Changing Teaching Practices: Using Curriculum Differentiation to
Respond to Students Diversity.

Objectives

Show how to promote greater positive relationships and interactions in the classroom
in order to build safe environments for learning

Know how to respond to individual student needs and establish a healthy rapport with
students


WARM-UP ACTIVITY: YOUR STRENGTHS FOR THE WORLD TO SEE (20 MINUTES)
Teachers will form pairs with the person beside him/her and interview each other. The goal is to
find the good (even the great!) in everyone and share that goodness (and greatness) with the rest
of the class.
The point of this warm-up activity is simple, but very, very important: we are asking you to go
deeper than simply being nice and praising others. Students who sense empty praise often feel
cheated. Find out more than just if someone is good. Find out how, where, and when.
It goes even deeper than that. When people look back at their education and express sorrow or
anger, it is often because they were publicly humiliated. That humiliation cuts deep. When our
dignity is gone it is impossible to learn. If a child does something wrong, s/he must learn why and
learn how to ensure that their behavior improves. That conversation between teacher and student
should be done privately. Specific praise, however, should be done publicly.
We want you to practice it in pairs. Here are some tips for getting that conversation going:

Describe a time in which you made a positive difference in another persons life

What skill do you have that others may not know about?

What is your strongest quality as a person? A friend? A partner?

When you are interview the other person, make your own observations about what the person said
and how s/he said it. Listen very, very carefully.
When you are finished interviewing the person:

Reflect on what you heard and let the other person know s/he was heard. An example
would be: You know how to cook Calalou. Can you show me how?

Ask the person interviewed how they felt when they heard about their good qualities from
another person. Did they feel happy or sad?

Likewise when you appreciate any of the good work of your students or provide positive
feedback, they feel encouraged and become positively motivated and inspired.
WHAT IS AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT?

An inclusive learning environment is one in which all those participating feel able to actively engage,
feel safe and feel welcome. An inclusive learning environment also acknowledges and celebrates
difference as a part of everyday life. We discussed this in Course 1. We are going to go deeper in
Course 2.

Safe Environments
All students come to situations where they may struggle. Children in inclusive classrooms realize
that this is a natural part of learning. Asking for help is expected and encouraged. Teachers model
how they handle their own challenges in a professional manner. When they do, children see
models of adults who have the skills to embrace difficulties solve problems. They are taught to pay

attention to their own needs for support and to their own learning styles (which we will study
later). In safe classrooms, with and without disabilities come to recognize their differences, yet
also learn how to respect and honor all their peers.

Communication
In inclusive classrooms, individuals have the opportunity to learn how to communicate with
individuals who may communicate in non-traditional ways. In addition, students have access to
multiple ways of expressing themselves and understanding others.

Sign Language
Some children with disabilities need other forms of communication than the more common oral or
writing/reading literate exchanges within classrooms.
Many individuals, who have significant communication difficulties, use alternative means of
communication, such as switches, sign language, facilitated communication, picture exchange,
communication picture cards, and Braille.
Again, teachers themselves can grow in their knowledge and expertise with using these different
forms of communication. For those teachers who are not familiar with these forms of
communication, they can benefit from observing such interactions between those who do and they
could learn to use them.

Collaboration
Collaboration plays a key role in inclusive classrooms. Students are taught and encouraged to work
together and support one another. In addition to students working together, teachers must also
find ways to work with other professionals and educators, to meet the needs of all children. When
students with more complex needs are included in a general education classroom, teachers can
communicate with different health care organizations who are providing supports for special need
kids with Assistive Technology, experts or therapists that have been determined essential to a
childs learning.
Inclusive classrooms create opportunities where all students can at one point or another, be given
the role of a leader or supporter. Conversely, all students can and should be supported based upon
specific needs to a particular situation. This reciprocal process of collaboration fosters an
awareness and understanding of the diversity that exists within the classroom as well as in the
broader community. In a community of learners, students are encouraged to work together and
discover ways to support one another.

Building an Inclusive Culture

An inclusive culture starts from the premise that everyone in the school students, educators,
administrators, support staff and parents should feel that they belong, realize their potential, and
contribute to the life of the school. In an inclusive culture, diverse experiences, perspectives and
gifts are seen to enrich the school community.

Achieving an inclusive school culture goes beyond making a decision to run a workshop on bullying,
put in a ramp, or offer diversity training to staff. It is more than just developing a value statement
that talks about inclusion. An inclusive school culture requires a shift in the attitudes of all the
stakeholders as well as the development of policies and practices that reinforce inclusive behaviour.
Real inclusion is about actions, not just words.
An inclusive culture is based on the philosophy that the whole school shares in the responsibility
for inclusion. A real culture of inclusion cannot be brought about unless everyone embraces it.
Creating an inclusive school culture is critical because our schools act as mirrors of the larger
community. There is a great opportunity to teach students, early in their development as citizens,
about the importance and value of inclusion. They will learn behaviour that will ultimately help
nurture truly inclusive communities. It also provides an opportunity for parents to learn through
their children about the importance of belonging, acceptance and community.
In an inclusive school culture diversity is embraced, learning supports are available and properly
utilized, and flexible learning experiences focus on the individual student. There is an innovative
and creative environment and a collaborative approach is taken. At the heart of inclusion is
committed leadership and a shared direction.

Classroom Management
Classroom management builds inclusion, but we must be clear that classroom management
and discipline are not the same thing. In fact, they can even be opposites. Classroom
management makes learning possible. It is organized, feels safe, lessons are clear and
interesting, the teacher is engaged, and learning is taking place. Think of classroom
management as learning management managing how and when and where students learn.
Discipline is necessary, but more for more individuals than the class. In other words, students
should discipline themselves and police behavior in the classroom. When that happens,
teachers do not have to yell or punish. A well-managed class is disciplined from the inside. A
well-managed class engages students because they know it is a place for work. Imposing
discipline by the teacher may be effective in the short term, but it often fails.
Here are FOUR factors that often contribute to out-of-control classrooms:

The teacher does not know the subject

The teacher does not care
The teacher is not organized
The teacher has not provided a learning environment and structure

Here are some tips about classroom management that will make your life a lot easier and the
classroom much more enjoyable:

Create classroom rules with the students and phrase them in positive terms. Instead of
dont talk when others are talking, try: Be respectful of others. If students have helped
create the rules, then they will help to enforce them

Keep your rules short. Too many rules is confusing

Team them how to enforce the rules. When unacceptable behavior happens, students
need to be reminded of the rules they set

Use a normal voice; never shout

When you want students attention, practice going to one place and doing one thing, like
raising a finger or standing on one foot. Speak only when students are ready. One effective
practice is to introduce a rhythm like clapping your hands to a special beat, then having
students repeat it to you, indicating that they see and hear you and it is time to work. You
can also do a call and response: you say part of a phrase, and the other students say
another part. Other teachers say, Give me 5! and raise their hands. The students then
raise their hands when they are ready.

Be Sensitive to Individual Differences

One essential characteristic of effective teaching is that it has to be responsive to the

individual needs of students. There are simply too many differences among students for a
teacher to be able to teach all of them the same thing at the same time.

Teachers who alter instructions to accommodate individual differences send the message
that they want to reach all of their students all of the time.

Create a Safe Climate for Participation

Teachers can foster a safe climate by insuring that they never ridicule a student's questions
or remarks. It takes only one or two instances of "That's a stupid comment. Haven't you
prepared for class?" to discourage participation.

You can disagree with a student without attacking him or her personally (e.g., "As I see
it ...."). Remember always to dignify learners' responses by restating their valid points or
crediting the thoughtfulness of their contributions.

When Discipline is Necessary

Sometimes even good management does not work. You must confront students who attack
other students. (e.g., "John, state what you think rather than attacking another student.").

When you confront students who treat their classmates disrespectfully, you model for your
students proper classroom etiquette. Your students will take you more seriously if they
know you enforce the rules you include in your syllabus.

One way to encourage participation is to reinforce appropriate student behavior both

verbally and non-verbally.

Make frequent eye contact with your students. Move around the room often and offer
words of praise such as "good" or "interesting" to students who are participating. Refer to
student contributions in your remarks with phrases such as "As Bronte said..." or "Would
anyone like to respond to Joe's point?" Write student responses on the board, a flipchart, or
a transparency, and include them in your handouts as often as possible to acknowledge
contributions. Use student points in your remarks (e.g., "As Emmanuel pointed out...").

ACTIVITY: YOUR TURN (60 MINUTES)

Materials: Magazine, poster-board, scissors, glue, markers

Bring in magazines and ask students to work silently, in groups, to cut out pictures that
create a story of a well-managed classroom. Be creative! Give the students 15 minutes to
complete this exercise

[For the Facilitator]: Remember to make certain that the teachers are working quietly at
first. This is a chance to demonstrate classroom management!

After the 15 minutes have passed, ask the groups to assemble one set of classroom rules
from the pictures. They have to decide the grade level they are working on, first. Some
young children will not understand abstract rules, so by deciding on the grade level first, the
groups will be able to set the rules at an appropriate level.

Ask the groups to report on their classroom rules

Begin a discussion about what they learned from each other, what challenges they face, and
what they can implement in the classrooms tomorrow.

If time, discuss the following: What leadership role you can play to create an inclusive
school community involving your students and why it is important?

ACTIVITY: FIRST DAY (60 MINUTES)

If you want a classroom where students come to work diligently, you need to begin teaching the
content the first day of class. Let the first day set the tone for the rest of the semester. Let the first
class set the tone for the weeks to follow by enlisting student interest, inviting their participation,
and beginning to build a sense of community.
In groups, read the following tips on building a positive learning environment and come up with
creative ideas to make them come alive in your classroom. For example:

A game to learn your students names from the first daythis is the key to establishing
relationships and puts you well on your way to a great culture!

A way to begin every class so that students feel welcome and can get to work right away.
This could be your announcements, student announcements, a riddle, a big question, or a
current event. Be creative!

Find a way to hear everyones "voice in the room. You can do this asking: "Share what you
recall from our last class meeting;" "Share with a partner what you found most difficult to
understand in todays reading;" "In groups of three, share how you might use what we
learned outside the classroom.

Encourage your students to interact with you and each other, rather than just you
o

Ask for student input frequently. Here are a few ideas: Ask students to close their
eyes and raise the number of fingers that represent the number of things they got
out of today's lesson. Youll get immediate feedback on your effectiveness, and
theyll know that you care about what they think!

Ask your students to quickly pull out a half sheet of paper and share with
you"What went well today...Is there anything you think I should change?"

Provide closure with every lesson. For example:

"Next time we will"

"Please read."
"Share one new thing you learned today"

BULLYING
Our goal is to implement and modify varied strategies to ensure respect among students. Bullying
is a form of aggressive behaviour that is intentional, hurtful, (physical and psychological), and/or
threatening. It is mistreatment that is:

The mistreatment must be hurtful (physical or psychological).

The mistreatment is threatening. The individual fears harms. Fear their safety.

The mistreatment must occur more than once. However, some disagree with this. They say
one very hurtful event is enough to label it bullying.

What Does Bullying Look Like?

Hitting, slapping, elbowing, shouldering (slamming someone with your shoulder)

Shoving, kicking, restraining, or pinching in a hurtful or embarrassing way

Taking, stealing, damaging or defacing belongings or other property

Name-calling, insulting remarks, and put-downs

Repeated teasing, gossiping, spreading nasty and malicious rumors

Harassment, threats, intimidation, and hurtful graffiti

Destroying and manipulating relationships (turning your best friend against you)

Destroying status within a peer group or excluding, rejecting, or isolating others

Destroying reputations with lies and whispering behind someones back

Humiliating older students in a mixed-grade classroom

Negative body language (facial expressions, turning your back to someone)

Threatening gestures, taunting, pestering, insulting remarks and gestures

Glares and dirty looks, nasty jokes, notes passed around, anonymous notes

Hate petitions (promising to hate someone)

Cyber bullying: negative text messages on cell phones, e-mail, or voice-mail messages, Web
pages, and so on direct and indirect forms of bullying often occur together. All of these
behaviors can be interrelated.

What Happens to Children who are Victims of Bullying?

Bullied children can experience negative physical, school, and mental health issues such as:

Depression and anxiety

Increased feelings of sadness and loneliness

Changes in sleep and eating patterns

Loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood.

Health complaints

Decreased academic achievement and school participation. They are more likely to miss,
skip, or drop out of school.

ACTIVITY: BULLYING TESTIMONY AND RESPONSE (60 MINUTES)

[Note to Facilitators]: This may be an emotional meeting, but it is important to express oneself.
You may choose to do this in smaller groups or with the entire gathering of teachers.

Part One: Testimony

Ask teachers to describe bullying in their school or to themselves as children what happened,
what teachers and school directors did, and how they reacted.

Part Two: Response

A young girl named Molita writes: This is my bullying story. I am slow in school and overweight,
but I've been trying to do my best. Since 4th grade, my classmates make fun of me for my strange
behavior and my weight. Kids talk behind my back, and make fun of me on almost a daily basis.
Almost every night, I cry myself to sleep because of this, and it's just incredibly painful. I want to
talk to people, but it's hard to muster up the courage. My teachers dont seem to care. My
parents want me to be stronger. I dont know what to do.

Thinking about Molita, yourself, or any of the students in your school, discuss the following
question: What role you can play to motivate and engage your students to make a safe
and bully free school community?

Encourage students to form a club to grow awareness against bullying.

Students can involve teachers and parents in that club.

Students can stand beside the student who is being bullied etc.

Now using chart paper to make a diagram of your points to make it visual.

Each group will present their chart to the class.

Course 3: Student Engagement for Success

INTRODUCTION
We will be working on key concepts in teaching that make learning enjoyable:
1. Using Multiple Intelligences in order to reach students with different teaching styles
2. Engaging students in Cooperative Learning strategies
3. Project-Based Learning in classrooms and in the community

WARM-UP ACTIVITY: (15 MINUTES)
Form groups with 3-4 members and to think about their childhood when they went to school to
recall what types of teaching methods their teachers used in the class and which ones they liked
most and which ones they did not and why. They will also discuss which teaching method helped
them to learn more and to remember the content for a longer period of time. After group
discussion they will share their opinion with the class.

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

Smart people impress us, but we do not always know what makes them so smart. Were they
born that way? Are they simply quicker? Do their brains process information in a more
efficient way? Can their brains hold more information? Are they just skilled at memorizing or
remember what they read? Was it that they were taught at an early age?

Scientists are exploring this issue with great intensity these days, especially because of
new abilities to scan brains using medical imaging devices.

Most people view intelligence as a quantity, but over the past 40 years, this view has
changed to view intelligence as more of a quality than quantity. Thanks to Howard
Gardner at Harvard University, we now view our intelligence as a fixed thing. An
enormous body of evidence supports the fact that our brains stretch and grow, that
they respond to a good education and stimulation, and that multiple ways of teaching
to different intelligences works.

So, we hope that you no longer ask if your students are smart, but how they are smart!

This difference in thinking provides huge opportunities for teachers, who have long
seen that there are many types of intelligence, not just one. We are going to learn
about them so that we can apply them in our classrooms, learn more about how our
students learn, and design lessons accordingly.

Eight Intelligences and Growing

The picture that begins this section (above) shows eight intelligences. The first two are
ones that have been typically valued in schools; the next three are usually associated
with the arts; and the final two are what we call "personal intelligences." Here is a
description of each:

Linguistic intelligence is about being word smart: sensitivity to spoken and written
language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to accomplish
certain goals. This intelligence relies upon language to express oneself. Writers, poets,
lawyers, and speakers are among those that have high linguistic intelligence.

Logical-mathematical intelligence is about being number smart: this kind of

intelligence consists of being able to analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical
operations, and investigate issues scientifically. This intelligence allows one to detect
patterns and think logically. This intelligence is most often associated with scientific
and mathematical thinking.

Musical intelligence is about being sound and music smart. It involves skill in the
performance, composition, and appreciation of musical patterns. It recognizes musical
pitch, tones, and rhythms. Musical intelligence is close to linguistic intelligence.

Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is about being movement smart. It entails the potential

of using one's whole body or parts of the body to solve problems. It is the ability to use
mental abilities to coordinate bodily movements.

Spatial intelligence is about being picture smart. It involves the potential to recognize
and use the patterns of wide space and more confined areas. It is the ability to
recognize shapes and patterns, know ones way around an unfamiliar town, visualize
objects from different angles, and notice fine details.

Intrapersonal intelligence is the ability to understand oneself and to appreciate one's

feelings, fears and motivations. It allows one to regulate oneself and to solve problems
by paying attention to what we think and feel.

Interpersonal intelligence is about being people smart. It is also the capacity to

understand the intentions, motivations, and desires of other people. It allows people to
work effectively with others.

Natural intelligence is about being nature smart, not necessarily naturally smart. It is
about a special awareness and observation skills helpful to understanding and
organizing patterns in nature. It allows people not only to classify problems, but also to
see them as part of a bigger picture.

Everyone one of us has all these intelligences. They rarely operate independently. If we
teach well, we can grow them all or help a struggling learner gain greater
understanding by approaching learning through his or her strength.

If you are able to use the Internet, here is a link to a tool to help you learn more about
multiple intelligences by examining your own:
http://lessonsforhope.org/survey/index.asp. Click on the link. Read the screen that
comes up, especially the directions under the title "Create Your Own Intelligence Profile"
and click on the button at the bottom of that screen that says "Begin."

In this interactive activity, you will see that each person has all of the intelligences in
varying degrees. This is intended to be a fun exercise - answer the questions to the best
of your ability. At the end of the activity, a unique "Multiple Intelligence Snowflake" will
be generated. The results are not absolute indicators of intelligence - they are simply
meant to give you the opportunity to learn more about your unique combination of
intelligences.

Examples
Logical/mathematical: Enjoys working with numbers, doing experiments

Teaching tip: Use "science thinking": Ask students to identify scientific principles in
areas other than science.
Fun activity (grades 4-6): Find three random things (for example, a blade of grass, the
word "long," and the process "jumping") and ask your students to invent an object that
uses all three.
Fun activity (grades 6-8): Ask students to reinvent or improve upon the designs of
everyday objects.

Visual/spatial: Enjoys drawing and painting

Teaching tip: Use colors as visual cues: Use a variety of colors of chalk and markers
when writing in front of the class. Students can use different colored markers to "color
code" materials they are studying.
Fun activity (grades 4-6): Draw an unusual shape and have each student include it in a
drawing of his or her own.
Fun activity (grades 6-8): Play drawing games such as Pictionary or Win, Lose or Draw.
Have students make rapid drawings to capture key points being discussed in a class
lesson.

Naturalist: Enjoys studying things in nature, such as rocks, dinosaurs, insects, plants

Teaching tip: Noticing patterns: Encourage students to form their own systems for
sorting and categorizing information.

Fun activity (grades 4-6): Show pictures of various animals or plants and ask students
to figure out what they have in common.
Fun activity (grades 6-8): Given certain basic guiding principles, ask students to
describe an animal, ecosystem, or other natural entity. To stimulate creativity, the
entity need not exist at present, but should be theoretically imaginable.

Bodily/kinesthetic: Enjoys dancing, crafts, or sports

Teaching tip: Classroom theater: Students can act out the material to be learned
through role-playing.
Fun activity (grades 4-6): Ask students what they like to eat for lunch and have them
act out the answers in a game of charades.
Fun activity (grades 6-8): Use the human body as a "map" for learning new
information in different subjects. In geography, the body might represent one part of
the world. If the head is _____(x country), then where is ____(y country_?

Musical/Rhythmic: Enjoys listening to music

Teaching tip: Create discographies: Supplement bibliographies with lists of recorded

music relating to class material. Also, as part of a homework assignment, have students
select music that best demonstrates lesson themes.
Fun activity (grades 4-6): Play unusual or difficult-to-recognize sounds and ask
students to imagine what they might be.
Fun activity (grades 6-8): Some students can more easily memorize information if they
listen to a teacher's lesson against a musical background. Baroque and classical music
can be particularly effective.

Interpersonal: Enjoys giving advice to friends who have problems

Teaching tip: Peer sharing: Set up a class "buddy system" so students can share and
develop ideas with the same person over a period of time.
Fun activity (grades 4-6): Make learning a fun and cooperative effort with class-made
board games. Using file folders, markers, dice, and small game pieces, the information
to be learned can be placed on squares of a winding road or on separate cards.
Fun activity (grades 6-8): Ask students to think of the results of unlikely events. For
example, "What if all of us could feel each other's feelings?"

Intrapersonal: Enjoys being by himself and thinking

Teaching tip: Personal connections: To make learning more directly relevant, make
connections between class material and students' lives. To spark discussion, ask: "How
many of you have ever" Or "Can you tell about a time when you"

Fun activity (grades 4-6): Start individual or class scrapbooks for remembering special
events.
Fun activity (grades 6-8): Provide opportunities for setting goals and charting progress
toward these goals. Goals may be short-term ("List three things you'd like to learn
today") or long-term ("What do you want to be doing ten years from now?").

Verbal/linguistic: Enjoys storytelling, reading books

Teaching tip: Tape recording: To help students clarify their thinking, have them use a
tape recorder to talk out loud about a problem or project. Recordings can also be used
as a writing tool.
Fun activity (grades 4-6): Have students think of as many things as possible that share
a certain property, such as things that are round (sun, balloons, a squashed soda can),
and encourage creative answers.
Fun activity (grades 6-8): Invent nicknames for well-known people that capture
features that make the individuals unique.

A New Intelligence: Emotional Intelligence

Different from intrapersonal or interpersonal intelligence, emotional intelligence is

about being feeling smart. It is the capacity to regulate our behavior, manage our
moods, react appropriately, motivate oneself, deal with self-doubt, and recognize the
feelings in others. The key ingredients for this understanding are: confidence, curiosity,
intentionality, self-control, relatedness, capacity to communicate, and ability to
cooperate. Some also call this resilience or the ability to cope with setbacks.

ACTIVITY 1 OF 3: PLANNING FOR MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES (60 MINUTES)

Materials: Anything art supplies, sports equipment, building blocks for teachers to
use in planning a lesson

Understanding the concepts of Multiple Intelligences provides us with multiple ways to

teach, rather than one. It also provides educators with a model for organizing and
reflecting on curriculum, assessment, and teaching practices. In turn, many educators
have developed new approaches that might better meet the needs of the range of
learners in their classrooms. Multiple intelligences allows us: (a) to plan our lessons in a
way that can meet the needs of diverse students (b) to respect the arts as a way to
reach more students (c) to provide more choice in the curriculum, and (d) to help us
learn how and if students are learning

Now that you have an understanding of Multiple Intelligences, it's time to plan how to
implement the idea, for just one day, in the form of one lesson plan to be used in your
classroom. But lets plan it first.

In groups, discuss the lessons you currently teach and which one might fit as a
candidate for introducing Multiple Intelligences. It could be a specific lesson in math,
social studies, literature, etc. Go one by one so that everyone gets a chance to talk
about their lessons.

Brainstorm together what intelligence(s) might work for each persons lesson

Present it to the class by demonstrating the intelligence(s) you are using. It will be
fun! Some of you will sing, dance, build

Then, list the intelligence that will be your central focus for that one lesson. Why did
you choose that intelligence?
ACTIVITY 2 OF 3: MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES IN YOUR CLASSROOM (ONE HOUR)

Introduce to your classroom at least one intelligence you have not used before. Discuss
your choice and your ideas for implementing that intelligence in the lesson with
colleagues. Provide their feedback - a short summary of their reactions, questions, level
of engagement, ideas/activities they sparked for you.

Before you start, take a look a list of the general characteristics of students who exhibit
strengths in each of the intelligences.

Multiple Intelligences
Verbal-Linguistic - The capacity to learn
through words

Overview

Learns from the spoken and written word, in

many forms; reads, comprehends, and
summarizes effectively

Learns through using objects and moving them

about, time, cause and effect; solves problems
logically; understands patterns and relationships
and makes educated guesses; can handle diverse
skills such as advanced math, and represent them
in graphic form; works with models; gathers
evidence; builds strong arguments.

Learns by seeing and observing - shapes, faces,

colors; uses detail in visual images; learns
through visual media; enjoys doodling, drawing;
makes three-dimensional objects and moves
them around; sees forms where others do not;
enjoys abstractions and subtle patterns.

Logical-Mathematical - The capacity for

strong reasoning, as well as the use of
numbers and the recognition of abstract
patterns

Visual-Spatial - The ability to visualize objects

and spatial dimensions, and create internal
images and pictures

Learns through touching and moving; developed

coordination and timing; participation and
Body-Kinesthetic - The wisdom of the body and involvement; role-plays. Engages in games,
assembles objects; acts. Sensitive to physical
the ability to control physical motion
environment; dexterity and balance; creates new
forms that move.

Musical-Rhythmic - The ability to recognize

tonal patterns, sounds, as well as a sensitivity
to rhythms and beats

Learns through sound; eager to discuss music and

its meaning; sings and plays an instrument;
improvises and interprets

Learns through interactions, social relationships;

perceives feelings, thoughts, motivations of
others; collaborates; influences opinions;
understands in verbal and non-verbal ways; takes
in diverse points of view; mediates, organizes,
develops new social processes and methods.

Learns through range of personal emotions; finds

outlets for feelings; identifies and pursues
personal goals; curious about big questions;
manages to learn through on-going attempts at
gathering in ideas; insightful; empowers others.

Interpersonal - The capacity for person-to-

person communications and relationships

Intrapersonal - The spiritual, inner states of

being, self-reflection, and awareness

ACTIVITY 3 OF 3: REFLECTIONS ON YOUR NEW LESSON (60 MINUTES)
[Notes for the Facilitator]: Ask students to discuss their experience of implementing Multiple
Intelligences in their classroom. Was it easy? Frustrating? What seemed to work? Were the
students busy? Surprised? Confused? Happy? Engaged?

CREATIVE LESSON PLANNING EXAMPLES

English Language Learners

Students in groups of 4-5 describe past and present abilities written on a set of cards handed out to
them randomly OR demonstrate what they knew, know now, or want to know.
1. First, they have to use multiple intelligences to demonstrate (or act out) what it says on the
card (or the ability they wish to show.
2. Second, they have to describe the card or their ability English. The group can help coach the
person so that they learn from and with each other.
Examples include: Speak more than three languages can tell a joke in English lose weight easily;
juggle; drive a truck; play a musical instrument; run 100 meters in less than 13 seconds;

Geometry: Shapes
The purpose is to rearrange the two cut shapes to fit into every pattern on this page. The skill is to
develop spatial awareness (or intelligence)

Imagine you are a box manufacturer and you want to ship boxes flattened out.

How many possible shapes of 6 squares could be folded into a box?

Using a square pattern and graph paper, make as many designs as possible. (Trace 6
adjoining squares in a pattern you decide upon.)

Cut out your pattern and fold to see if you can make a box of each in order to check
your work.

Botany: Grow a Plant

Learn about gardens and grow your own plants at the same time. Use this fun lesson plan to teach
garden science. Your students will enjoy learning about different types of plants as well as how to
look after their own garden when they have finished making them.

Talk to the students about the type of flowers and plants they might see in the spring
and summer time. Let the kids know that today they will be making plants for their very
own summer garden to take home and look after.

What do garden plants need to survive? Sunlight, nutrients, water, etc. Why?

In your classroom set up a range of different plants (the type will depend on your
location, budget and the season).

Allow the children to fill a container with dirt before moving around the class making
sure the students have done this part of the activity correctly. After adding seeds, let
the children know that they must make sure they label all their plants so they
remember which is which

For further activities you can let the students decorate their containers or name their
plants.

After finishing, the children back together and explain how they can look after their plants when
they take them back home.

Separate the plants into pots with holes in them.

Put the plants in a sunny place and remember to water them every two or three days.

When the plant is healthy and strong you can plant it in your garden.
COOPERATIVE LEARNING

[Notes for the Facilitator]: Ask students to recall the sessions in this program and ask them how
they felt working collaboratively with their classmates. Did they enjoy it? Did they learn more? If
the session was delivered using the lecture method did they enjoy that more or less and why?
Cooperative Learning is an entire field of student in teacher professional development. It has

been proven to be effective for all types of students, including academically gifted,
mainstream students and English language learners (ELLs) because it promotes learning and
fosters respect and friendships among diverse groups of students. In fact, the more diversity
in a team, the higher the benefits for each student. Peers learn to depend on each other in a
positive way for a variety of learning tasks.
In one of our training sessions, teachers came up with a formula to define cooperative
learning:
Cooperative Learning:
Divides the work among learners according to their various skills
Adds to the knowledge each already possessed
Subtracts their stress and failure in having to present in front of a large group, and
Multiplies the change of everyones success
Students typically work in small teams. This way, they can break into pairs for some activities,
and then get back together in teams very quickly for others. It is important, however, to
establish classroom norms and protocols that guide students to:

Contribute to their learning

Stay focused

Help and encourage each other

Solve problems

Give and accept feedback from peers

Five Steps for Cooperative Learning

No matter what the setting is, properly designing and implementing cooperative learning
involves 5 key steps. Following these steps is critical to ensuring that the five key elements
that differentiate cooperative learning from simply putting students into groups are met.
1. Pre-Instructional Planning: prior planning helps to establish the specific cooperative
learning technique to be used and lays the foundation for effective group work. Plan
out how groups will be formed and structure how the members will interact with
each other.
2. Introduce the Activity to the Students: students need to get their "marching orders."
Explain the academic task to them and what the criteria are for success. Then
structure the cooperative aspects of their work with special attention to the
components of positive interdependence and individual accountability. Set up time
limits and allow for clarifying questions.
3. Monitor and Intervene: this is where you let the groups run while you circulate
through the room to collect observation data, see whether they understand the
assignment, give immediate feedback and praise for working together. If a group is
having problems, you can intervene to help them get on the right track.

4. Assessment: some informal assessment is already done while you are monitoring the
groups during the exercise. Along the way, ask for feedback from students. Once the
project is finished, both the instructor and the group should evaluate it

5. Process: group processing involves asking the groups to rate their own performance
and set goals for themselves to improve their cooperative work.
Cooperative Learning Strategies
There are some popular strategies that can be used with all students to learn in all subjects.
Most of these strategies are especially effective in teams of four:
1. Round Robin: present a category (such as "Names of Animals") for discussion. Have
students take turns going around the group and naming items that fit the category.
2. Roundtable: present a category (such as words that begin with "b"). Have students
take turns writing one word at a time.
3. Write Around: for writing or summarization, give a sentence starter. Ask all students
in each team to finish that sentence. Then, they pass their paper to the right, read
the one they received, and add a sentence to that one. After a few rounds, four great
stories or summaries emerge. Give children time to add a conclusion and/or edit their
favorite one to share with the class.
4. Numbered Heads Together: ask students to number off in their teams from one to
four. Announce a question and a time limit. Students put their heads together to
come up with an answer. Call a number and ask all students with that number to
stand and answer the question. Recognize correct responses and elaborate through
rich discussions.
5. Team Jigsaw: assign each student in a team one fourth of a page to read from any
text (for example, a social studies text), or one fourth of a topic to investigate or
memorize. Each student completes his or her assignment and then help others to put
together a team product by contributing a piece of the puzzle.
6. Tea Party: students form two concentric circles or two lines facing each other. You
ask a question (on any content) and students discuss the answer with the student
facing them. After one minute, the outside circle or one line moves to the right so
that students have new partners. Then pose a second question for them to discuss.
Continue with five or more questions. For a little variation, students can write
questions on cards to review for a test through this "Tea Party" method.
7. Think-Pair-Share: In this method, the instructor poses a question. Students are given
some time (varying depending on the question) to think about their answer. They
then find a partner and they each share what they thought of on their own (individual
accountability). They then work together to come up with an answer that benefits
from both of their individual responses. Finally, the pairs share their answers with

other pairs, in larger groups or with the entire class.

8. Circle the Sage: In this technique the instructor starts by polling students to see who
has special knowledge to share that is relevant to what the teacher wants the
students to learn. For example, if the students are learning about foreign countries,
the teacher might poll to see who has traveled outside of the country. If the students
are learning about dividing fractions, the teacher might ask which students were able
to solve the hardest dividing fractions problem from the homework the night
before. The students with the special knowledge are referred to as the sages and are
given a group of students (all from different teams) to talk through their special
knowledge. When the students feel that they have learned the information that the
sage has to impart they return to their original teams. They each explain what they
learned from their sages and work together to address discrepancies and to form a
common answer.
9. Three-Step Interview: In this technique, students are also placed in teams. In the
first step students choose a partner and interview them with clarifying questions
about the lesson. Next, the partners reverse the roles. Finally, the responses are
shared with the full team.
10. Round Robin Brainstorming: To achieve this the class is broken into groups that are
ideally 4 to 6 students and one person is designated as the recorder. The instructor
poses a question that does not simply have one answer and students are given "think
time" to think about how they will answer. Next students share their responses,
within their group, in a round robin style (taking turns, until each member has had a
turn). The recorder writes down all of the answers.
11. Three-Minute Review: In this activity the instructor, at any point during classroom
activities, stops and gives teams three minutes to both review what has happened up
to that point in the class and to ask and answer each other's clarifying questions.
12. Numbered Heads Together: Each member of a team is given a number. The instructor
poses various questions and the groups work together to answer them. Then the
instructor randomly chooses a number to call. Each person with that number, from
each group, then answers the question.
13. Teach Pair Solo: This is the opposite of the Think-Pair-Share. First students work on
problems as a team. They then keep working on similar problems, but with just a
partner and finally on their own. The goal of this is that the group provides scaffolding
for students to work together to solve problems beyond their ability. Then, with
practice, they will be able to work on the problem on their own.
After each Cooperative Learning activity, you will want to debrief with the children by asking
questions such as: What did you learn from this activity? How did you feel working with your
teammates? If we do this again, how will you improve working together?

Using Pairs to Introduce Cooperative Learning

A simple way to start Cooperative Learning is to begin with pairs instead of whole teams.
Two students can learn to work effectively on activities such as the following:
1. Assign a math worksheet and ask students to work in pairs.
2. One of the students does the first problem while the second acts as a coach.
3. Then, students switch roles for the second problem.
4. When they finish the second problem, they get together with another pair and check
answers.
5. When both pairs have agreed on the answers, ask them to shake hands and continue
working in pairs on the next two problems.
Literature circles of in groups of four or six are also a great way to get students working in
teams. You can follow these steps:
1. Have sets of four books available.
2. Let students choose their own book.
3. Form teams based on students' choices of books.
4. Encourage readers to use notes and discussion questions to analyze their books.
5. Have teams conduct discussions about the book.
6. Facilitate further discussion with the whole class on each of the books.
7. Have teams share what they read with the whole class.
8. For the next literature circles, students select new books.

ACTIVITY: PLAN A COOPERATIVE LEARNING LESSON (60 MINUTES)

In groups, discuss the lessons you currently teach and a possible candidate for
cooperative learning. It could be a specific lesson in math, social studies, literature, etc.
Go one by one so that everyone gets a chance to talk about their lessons

Brainstorm together what cooperative learning techniques might work for each
persons lesson

Present it to the class by demonstrating the cooperative learning teaching technique or

plan you are using. It will be fun! Some of you will sing, dance, build, and more

At the end of their presentation, ask them randomly how they felt about using
collaborative and student-centered strategies when it was demonstrated in the class,
and if they would like to use this method in their own teaching. Why or why not?

Affinity Mapping teaches students to work together to solve problems by grouping like-
minded concepts together, setting priorities, and evaluating next steps. It takes

brainstorming to a new level by providing organization and pattern to ideas generated

by groups.

ACTIVITY: COOPERATIVE LEARNING through AFFINITY MAPPING (60-90 MINUTES)

Materials: A room with tables to enable conversation; note paper, sticky-notes or index cards
1. Please form smaller groups of 4-6 people per
table.
2. Tell teachers that they will be brainstorming at
each table a pressing problem in their
communities and decide on one.
3. Tell them that this pressing problem needs to be
stated in the form of a question, such as: How can
we decrease the number of students absent from
school? orHow can we make certain that
students choose more healthy food? The
questions can be as sophisticated as the teacher thinks the teachers can handle.

Rules for brainstorming:

Criticizing others idea is NOT encouraged.

The ideas and thoughts are FREE. The wilder
you think, the better it is.
Quantity is important: The more ideas, the
better the chances of finding solutions.

4. Brainstorm for five minutes only

a. One person at a time at each table, please put
out one of your ideas to address the central
question.
b. The rest of them at a table, please add ideas
c. Each table is responsible now for categorizing your own notes in 3 4 groups or

themes (NOT MORE!)

d. Start to group them together under those themes and create a label for the 3-4
e. Do this until you have exhausted all the ideas and have grouped them together

5. Each group presents their labels and themes to address the question
6. The entire group gathers. Each person is given three stickers and can use them to vote
on the solution that they would agree would work best.

A DIFFERENT VERSION: THE TEN SEED TECHNIQUE

A different version of affinity mapping is The Ten Seed
Technique used by development people around the
world.
Each group is given the ten seeds and asked to
consider them to represent the entire population of
people affected by a pressing issue under study. T
hey are then asked to move the seeds around into
groups representing various issues and dimensions of
the problem.

Example: Participatory Community Wide Needs Assessment.

Assumed Knowledge: The community has agreed that a Community-wide needs assessment
will be beneficial.
Anticipated Difficulties/Problems

Information may not be well received due to cultural differences between workshop
leaders and participants.

Community members may be resistant to behavioral changes.

Strong personalities may dominate workshops.

Stakeholders with vested interest may want a needs assessment favorable to them.

Solutions

It is important that the promoter is from the same culture and speaks the same
language as the participants.

Drawings and illustrations should be appropriate for and familiar to the community
members.

Strong personalities may be able to be reasoned with in order to understand the

importance of the participatory process, given projects that will occupy them, or taken
aside for a key person interview.

Stakeholders with vested interest may be taken aside for a key person interview.

Useful Internet Links: This lesson plan has adapted information from The Ten Seed
Technique by Ravi Jayakaran and CAREs Household Livelihood Security Assessments. A
Toolkit for Practitioners.


Materials

About 15 drawings of community needs traditionally identified by community

members.
Large sheets of newsprint.
Colored pens or marker pens.
Sticky tape.
Colored markers.
Seeds for voting
How-To Card

Brief Summary of Lesson:

Activity 1. Introductions. Ice Breaker: Sing a song or play a game.

Statement of Purpose: Tell the participants what theyll be able to do as a result of the
lesson.

Guided Practice:

Activity 2. Open discussions about community need and prioritizing a list of problems
and needs.

Activity 3. Discovering underlying causes to problems and needs.

Activity 4. Discovering solutions.

Notes

Active participation can be enabled by giving everyone an equal chance to share views.
For example, two groups might be formed out of the community one of women and
one of men so that women can feel comfortable participating in the discussion.

Sometimes it may be necessary to filter out the over dominating people in the group,
so that others can participate.

It is almost mandatory that the facilitators carrying out the 10 seed technique listen
with a positive attitude. This essentially means being open to new perspectives and
ideas without pre-assumptions.

Ideas for Drawings

Low income; poverty

Not enough seed to plant
Poor irrigation
Many diseases
Bad road to community
Lack of education among villagers
No school

No access information and training on improved agricultural methods

Unsustainable environmental practices
Lack of potable water

PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
In project-based learning, students are usually given a general question to answer, a concrete
problem to solve, or an in-depth issue to explore. Project-based learning requires students to use
skillssuch as researching, writing, interviewing, collaborating, or public speakingto produce
various work products. Unlike tests, homework assignments, and other more traditional forms of
academic coursework, a project may take several weeks or months, or it may even unfold over
the course of a semester or year.
Project-based learning experiences confront real-world problems and issues and require students
to investigate and analyze the reasons behind a problem, as well as a possible solution. For this
reason, project-based learning may be called inquiry-based learning or learning by doing,
Teachers may encourage students to choose specific topics that interest or inspire them, such as
projects related to their personal interests or career aspirations. For example, a typical project
may begin with an open-ended question such as: How can our school serve healthier school
meals? In these cases, students may be given the opportunity to address the question by
proposing a project that reflects their interests. For example, a student interested in farming may
explore the creation of a school garden that produces food and doubles as a learning opportunity
for students, while another student may choose to research health concerns related to specific
food items served in the cafeteria, and then create posters or a video to raise awareness among
students and staff in the school.
In many cases, adult mentors, advisers, or experts from the local communitysuch as scientists,
elected officials, or business leadersmay be involved in the design of project-based experiences,
mentor students throughout the process, or participate on panels that review and evaluate the
final projects in collaboration with teachers.
The following are a few representative examples of the kinds of arguments typically made by
advocates of project-based learning:
1. Project-based learning gives students a more integrated understanding of the
concepts and knowledge they learn, while also equipping them with practical skills they
can apply throughout their lives.
2. Project-based learning mirrors the real-world situations students will encounter after
they leave school, it can provide stronger and more relevant preparation for college
and work. Student not only acquire important knowledge and skills, they also learn
how to research complex issues, solve problems, develop plans, manage time, organize
their work, collaborate with others, and persevere and overcome challenges.

3. It reflects the ways in which todays students learn. It can improve student engagement
in school, increase their interest in what is being taught, strengthen their motivation to
learn, and make learning experiences more relevant and meaningful.
4. Since project-based learning represents a more flexible approach to instruction, it
allows teachers to tailor assignments and projects for students with a diverse variety of
interests, career aspirations, learning styles, abilities, and personal backgrounds.
5. This approach allows teachers and students to address multiple learning standards
simultaneously. Rather than only meeting math standards in math classes and science
standards in science classes, students can work progressively toward demonstrating
proficiency in a variety of standards while working on a single project or series of
projects.

Using Cooperative Learning Strategies for Project-Based Learning in the Classroom

1. Create groups of 4-5 students in which each person has a role. The teacher describes
each role (below), and either the teacher or the group assigns a responsibility/role to
each member of the group:

Instruction Reader - Reads the written instructions out loud to his/her group.

Time-Keeper - Periodically, tells the group how much time is left for the activity.

Scribe - Takes notes and writes down each person's response.

Includer - Actively encourages each person to share his/her ideas in the

discussion.

Reporter - Organizes the presentation and in many cases shares the group
consensus.

2. Each group is given a project or creates the idea for one.

The group decides how it will provide a response to the assignment by

demonstrating: a) what the event is (crime in the neighborhood, new school being
built, etc.); b) why they think it may be occurring; c) what the current plan is for
dealing with the problem; d) advantages and disadvantages of that plan and why;
and e) what they would do, and why it is better than another plan.

Each student in the group is given the task of exploring all of the issues above (a-e).
Those responses are shared within their group. The Includer makes sure each
person's voice is heard and encourages every member of the group to participate.
The Recorder writes down all of their responses.

Each group reaches a consensus on the response to present to the other groups.

The group decides how the information will be presented.

The group makes a presentation. The Reporter might present the consensus, or set
it up so that several people in the group present.

The group conducts an evaluation of performance.

ACTIVITY: PROJECT-BASED LEARNING PLANNING DISCUSSION (30 MINUTES)

[Note to Facilitator]: Choose a pressing issue in the community, but one that can be
realistically accomplished in a relatively short period of time. How might Cooperative Learning
ensure academic excellence AND get students out of their seats?

SERVICE LEARNING IS ACADEMICS IN THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Service learning helps students to boost their civic engagement and take the initiative to
strengthen their community with the added attraction of being connected to learning goals. Service
learning is not the same thing as community service, though both are valuable. Service learning
has a method that connects what one learns IN school to service OUTSIDE of school.
Teachers Without Borders most successful program connects earthquake science and safety, and
was conducted in Haiti after the earthquake. Here, students learn the Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) of earthquakes, as well as create earthquake preparedness
plans. It teaches science, engages children, and serves the community. In short, service learning is
a win-win. Of course, on a larger scale, that is what Teachers Without Borders is all about the
service of teaching on a global scale.
As you can see, service learning is a blend of multiple intelligences, cooperative learning, and
project-based learning. On a small scale, it connects the heart with the head and outsiders to help
insiders (teachers, students) learn. We often forget that an engineer working on a water project in
ones community may not only have much to teach, but much to offer in working with students to
help ensure their communitys water is clean.
Service Learning success stories have six characteristics in common:
1. The service-learning project must be meaningful. Participants have to feel needed
2. The service-learning project must be connected to what you are teaching. Outside
mentors working with your classroom need to know which skills you want to reinforce
3. It must foster leadership through collaboration. In other words, you will have to
watch carefully how students are approaching the work. The best projects allow
students to develop different kinds of leadership where everyone feels counted
4. It must give students time for reflection about what they learned and show how they
learned it. Students should maintain a journal to keep track or record of what they did
each week on that project, e.g. how many hours they worked there, with how many
people they talked to, etc. They should also feel free to express the challenges they
encountered and how they attempted to overcome them

5. The community must take give the project the dignity and value it deserves
6.

Ample time should be given to demonstrations of what they have done and
celebration for their efforts. Students can showcase their work at a special celebration
at school or at a community center

ACTIVITY: CONNECTING SERVICE AND LEARNING (60 MINUTES)

[For the Facilitator]: Engage teachers in connecting their classroom curriculum to community
issues. It does not have to be huge societal concern

Materials: poster-board (2 pieces for each group) and markers

1. Ask teachers to work in groups of 4-5 to brainstorm lessons for which they can add
a service-learning component. At the primary school level, students learning about
plants could create a school or community garden. At the secondary level, students
studying biology or chemistry could explore an issue of environmental pollution.
2. It is best for teachers to work on making that connection in a way that can be
summed up in a single sentence, such as: By creating a community garden, my
students can learn to identify plants, learn how to care for them, and help feed
their neighbors.
3. Of course, depending upon the age-level of the students and the teachers own
degree of comfort with connecting their curriculum with service learning, a project
could simply connect students to an existing project (a water or health campaign,
for instance), or take on a pressing issue poverty, illiteracy, lack of access to school,
pollution, unhealthful eating.

Remind teachers that they must connect academics and service in a single sentence,
then prepare 2 posters:

The 1st poster shows a picture or describes with words a lesson and how it is
currently taught.

The 2nd poster shows a picture or describes with words how that lesson could be
taught through service learning

Teachers will then post the poster #1 one side of the room and poster #2 on the
other side of the room

Teachers will then be asked to go to the posters where they are most comfortable
(asking them to be honest)

Ask them to move and go to the posters where they are most excited

Facilitators can expand this activity to keep teachers moving around to learn more
how they would approach service learning. Teachers could also take their posters
back and improve them more.

Course 4: Effective Assessment and Evaluation

WARM-UP: (20 MINUTES)

Think about your school life and ask the new teachers to recall how they were evaluated. By
taking tests? Standing up at your desk and reciting the answers to questions?
A story: During exams I felt so stressed out, couldnt sleep and sometimes couldnt eat. We
had to memorize a lot of things. After exam we felt relieved but in the same time we forgot
everything what we had memorized or learnt. If I look back to my school life, I just feel like
we studied to pass the exam or to achieve good marks in the exam, not to learn anything for
life long or to apply in real life. Most of our learning was based on memorization, even the
questions in the exam were recall or memory based and after exam we forgot everything
about what we memorized. Now I feel that learning should not be like this. We have to apply
our learning in our real life. Otherwise, what is the purpose of education?
THE ROLE OF ASSESSMENT IN LEARNING
The overall goal of assessment is to improve student learning. Assessment provides students,
parents/guardians, and teachers with valid information concerning student progress and
their attainment of the expected curriculum. Assessment should always be viewed as
information to improve student achievement. Assessments are based on the levels of
achievement and standards developed for those curricular goals appropriate for the grade.

Assessment and evaluation measure whether or not learning and/or learning objectives are
being met. One could look at assessment and evaluation as the journey (assessment) versus
the snapshot (evaluation).
Assessment should be built into instruction. It determines whether or not the goals of
education are being met. Assessment inspires us to ask these hard questions: "Are we
teaching what we think we are teaching?" "Are students learning what they are supposed to
be learning?" "Is there a way to teach the subject better, thereby promoting better
learning?"
Today's students need to know not only the basic reading and arithmetic skills, but also skills
that will allow them to face a world that is continually changing. They must be able to think
critically, to analyze, and to make inferences. Changes in the skills base and knowledge our
students need require new learning goals; these new learning goals change the relationship
between assessment and instruction. Teachers need to take an active role in making
decisions about the purpose of assessment and the content that is being
assessed. Assessment plays a major role in how students learn, their motivation to learn, and
how teachers teach.

Assessment for learning: where assessment helps teachers gain insight into what students
understand in order to plan and guide instruction, and provide helpful feedback to students.

Assessment as learning: where students develop an awareness of how they learn and use
that awareness to adjust and advance their learning, taking an increased responsibility for
their learning.

Assessment of learning: where assessment informs students, teachers and parents, as well
as the broader educational community, of achievement at a certain point in time in order to
celebrate success, plan interventions and support continued progress.

Assessment must be planned with its purpose in mind. Assessment for, as, and of learning all
have a role to play in supporting and improving student learning, and must be appropriately
balanced. Research and experience show that student learning is best supported when:

Instruction and assessment are based on clear learning goals

Instruction and assessment meet different learning needs

Students are involved in the learning process (They understand the learning goal and the
criteria for quality work, receive and use descriptive feedback, and take steps to adjust their
performance)

Assessment information is used to make decisions that support further learning

Parents are well informed about their childs learning, and work with the school to help plan
and provide support

Students, families, and the general public have confidence in the system

Four Elements of Effective Feedback

Researchers have identified four elements of effective feedback that can be used when giving
your students feedback on assignments. They are as follows:
1. Pointing
2. Summarizing
3. Posing one question for your Learner to consider
4. Offering one or two things for improvement

Element #1 of Effective Feedback: Pointing

If you are responding to student work in any form, simply point to the words and
phrases that most successfully made you think...somehow they rang true, or they
carried special purpose. Dont judge, just notice. You are simply reacting to what
happened to you when you read the words this time?"

Element #2 of Effective Feedback: Summarizing

Tell your student "very quickly what you found to be the main points, main feelings, or
centers of their work. Summarize it into a single sentence; then choose one word...Do
this informally. Don't plan or think too much about it. The point is to show the writer
what things he made stand out most in your head."

Element #3 of Effective Feedback: A Question for the Student to Ponder

Tell your student what philosophical question his/her writing generates for you. What
does their completed assignment make you wonder about on a larger level? (Here, we
are not looking for rhetorical questions, rather questions that spark your curiosity.) You
might even start your question with the words "I wonder...")

An example might be: "After reading the line in your story, 'He never strayed too far
from home,' I wondered if the character was helped or hurt by staying so close to
home his whole life. What do you think?"

Element #4 of Effective Feedback: Offering One or Two Things for Improvement

The reason we say to give your student one or two things is this: If you highlight one
thing for improvement, the student can take that one thing, remember it, and
incorporate it for the future. In our experience, highlighting three, four, or more things
to improve upon can get overwhelming.

If there are more than one or two things that you think need improvement in content,
keep a written record for yourself of those things that need work and as future
assignments come in, check to see if those issues come up again. Chances are that the
issue will come up again and you'll have an opportunity to address it at that time. Also,
hopefully, you'll see that the one or two issues you highlighted for improvement have

been taken care of. Highlighting one or two issues keeps things manageable for the
student.

For example, if your student stays general in his/her descriptions when answering a
question, your "one idea for improvement" might be: "When you talk about your
classroom, give me a specific example to support your idea - to make your thought
come alive for me," or you might point to a specific part of the writing and say "You
wrote in your assignment, 'The children seemed curious.' What did that look like, feel
like, sound like, taste like, smell like? Filter your description through the five senses.

Pointing to things that are effective in your Learner's completed assignment is another
way to guide him or her to give you more of that kind of writing where it is lacking. For
example, you could say: "When you wrote that ' Naitana's hands were shaking and his
voice cracked when he read his paper to the class,' I felt like I was right there with you.
Do this same kind of descriptive writing - filtering through the senses - when you simply
wrote, 'the children seemed curious.'"

How Not to Give Feedback

In your feedback, do not use words like "good", "great", "nice" or "bad." They are
words that do not help a person improve. For example, let's say you wrote a short story
and then you gave your short story to a friend or a colleague to read. If that person said
to you, "Hey, that story you gave to me to read was really good," you might perk up
and feel happy about the compliment, but it does not help you improve. The more
specific you are, the more students will trust your comments. Feedback that would be
more helpful is as follows:

"I read the short story you sent to me. The part where you talked about training the
bird made me laugh out loud.

"My mind started to wander when you started talking about the cows. I tuned out for a
while and then I was listening again when you talked about crossing the river. Your
description of the sounds of the coming storm (quote the exact words), I could feel my
heart starting to pound in my chest."

An example of "summarizing" might be: "I really felt your description of home the
comfort of home - its foods, smells, the conversations. Home is where your character
always returns. That's what stays with me after reading your piece."

The first three responses from above are more valuable to you than the "good", "nice"
or "bad" comments of ineffective feedback because you are receiving specific
information about content, including how something in your story affected that
particular reader at that particular time (Note: not all readers for all eternity, simply
that reader at that time). As the writer, you can then choose to re-write or keep those

sections the reader pointed to. That's up to you as the writer. You listen to the
feedback and then you have control over what you change or don't change.
RUBRICS

A rubric is a scoring tool or grid that can be customized to promote learning,

organization, or provides assessment. They can be used at the time an assignment is
given to communicate expectations to students, during a lesson to check on progress,
and after the instruction is complete to make certain that grading is air and efficient.

Rubrics help us to see; they help us to look for certain things we believe are important
or catch things that we may have missed. A rubric can be issued from a pre-made
template or inspired by school or national standards. A teacher or a group of teachers
can create a rubric. A good exercise for instruction is to create one with students. That
process teaches critical thinking skills and we suggest it highly.

In short, a rubric is a grid or matrix in which a horizontal column and a vertical column
come together to make comparisons or fill in the blanks.

Using Rubrics in the Classroom: An Example on Communication

Central Question: What is the difference between one-way and two-way communication?
Preparation: This exercise takes some preparation. You will need half as many bags as you have
participants and an object for each bag. The object can be anything: a hairbrush, ornaments (these
are very good), any small office equipment (stapler, scissors, etc.), perfume bottles, etc. Do not use
clothing or books.
ACTIVITY: RUBRICS FOR COMMUNICATION, PART 1 (60 MINUTES)

Divide the group into pairs.

Give one of each pair a bag with an object inside. The bag holder is not allowed to look
in the bag, but is to put their hand in the bag, feel the object and describe it to their
partner.

The partner draws what the bag holder describes.

The partner is not allowed to ask any questions.

Give the pairs five minutes to describe and draw the objects.

After five minutes, ask those who were drawing to show their drawings. At the same
time let their partners remove the objects from the bag.
ACTIVITY: COMMUNICATION, PART 2

Ask for four volunteers.

Send two out of the room and show the picture of the geometric shapes to the other
two. Remind them not to show their picture to anybody. Ask for one of them to wait
for the second part of the exercise.

Invite one of the other volunteers back inside. Explain that they are going to draw what
the other person tells them. They cannot ask any questions (this is one-way
communication). The instructor (the participant with the drawing) stands behind the
flipchart (or with his/her back to the board).

The instructor describes the picture to the participant at the flip chart (the artist).

The artist draws the picture based on the instructions given.

If you are using a flip chart, turn to a new page. If you are using a board, ensure that
you can reproduce the drawing and then clean the board.

Ask the second instructor to come forward and bring in the second volunteer from
outside. This time the instructor can watch what the artist is doing and make
comments on it, and the artist should ask questions (two- way communication).

When the drawing is completed, compare the two drawings (redraw the first drawing if
necessary).

Ask the teachers how they felt when they were either instructing or drawing.

Show the participants the original drawing. Ask the group which drawing is the most
accurate.

Discuss why this is so.

You can then use a rubric to discuss one-way and two-way communication:

One-way communication

Two-way communication

Advantages

Disadvantages

What are the advantages of one-way communication?

What are the disadvantages?

What are the advantages of two-way communication?

What are the disadvantages?

What responsibilities do we have if we are going to use one-way communication?

Why do we use one-way communication when two-way communication is proven to

be more effective?

Remember that asking questions such as Are we together? and Do you understand?
(with the whole class saying Yes) is not two-way communication.

Below, please find a rubric (example) for creating a Public Service Announcement on
Bullying.

Rubric for Public Service Announcement on Bullying

Not Yet Acceptable

Can be Stronger

1 pt

Content

Skill

Directions

Creativity

2 pts

Meets Expectations
3 pts

Exceeds Expectations
4 pts

Students showed no
understanding of the
content and included no
factual information to
persuade audience.

Students showed a very

basic understanding of
the content and
included some factual
information to
persuade audience.

Students showed
understanding and
included mostly factual
information to
persuade audience. (2
facts) The message is
evident and clear.

Students showed full

understanding of the
content and included
factual information to
persuade audience. The
message is evident,
clear, and supported.

Students have not shown

how to communicate
their knowledge of the
subject or teach.

Students showed basic

understanding of the
subject, but need more
specific info. to show
others what to do.

Students showed
understanding of
bullying and used some
of their knowledge of
the skill to persuade
target audience.

Students showed full

understanding of
bullying and used their
knowledge of the skill to
persuade target
audience.

Students did not follow

directions and did not
include message, facts,
persuasive technique,
and support organization
into their PSA. PSA length
showed little editing

Students did not follow

all directions and did
not include all parts of
the message, facts,
persuasive technique,
and support
organization into their
PSA. PSA was too short
or too long

Students followed
mostly all directions
and included message,
facts, persuasive
technique, and support
organization into their
PSA. PSA was
approximately 1 minute

Students followed all

directions and included
message, facts, survey
info, persuasive
technique, and support
organization into their
PSA. Timing was just-
about exactly 1 minute

Students did not

understand the
importance of
presentation. Ideas were
not yet clear or organized
effectively

Students used either

props or voice
inflection; some order
and neatness,
somewhat original
ideas, graphics do not
distract from the
message

Students were creative

in writing and
presenting their PSA;
neatly presented,
original ideas, graphics
support the message.
The PSA was smooth

Students were very

creative in writing and
presenting their PSA,
using props, voice
inflection and passion;
visually pleasing, neat,
original ideas, graphics
add to the message.

FORMATIVE VERSUS SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Formative assessments are on-going assessments, reviews, and observations in a classroom. The
goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning, to provide ongoing feedback that can
be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning. More
specifically, formative assessments:

Help students identify their strengths, weaknesses and target areas that need work

Help faculty recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately

Formative assessments are generally low stakes, which means that they have low or no
point value. They are, nevertheless, extremely important because it is the only way you will
know if students are truly learning.

Examples of formative assessments include asking students to (a) draw a concept map in class to
represent their understanding of a topic (b) submit one or two sentences identifying the main
point of a lecture (c) use multiple intelligences to show if they are learning.
Teachers use formative assessment to improve instructional methods and student feedback
throughout the teaching and learning process. For example, if a teacher observes that some
students do not grasp a concept, then she or he can design a review activity or use a different
instructional strategy to help the student understand.
Summative assessments are typically used to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional programs
and services at the end of an academic year or at a pre-determined time. The goal of summative
assessments is to make a judgment of student competency after an instructional phase is
complete.
The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional
unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.
Summative assessments are often high stakes, which means that they have a high point value.
Examples of summative assessments include:

A midterm exam

A final project

A final exam

Information from summative assessments can be used formatively when teachers use it to guide
their (students) efforts and activities in subsequent courses. Summative evaluations are used to
determine if students have mastered specific competencies and to identify instructional areas that
need additional attention.
We say, dont wait for the final exam to find out how students are doing. You can find out today!

ACTIVITY: UNDERSTANDING ASSESSMENT (40 MINUTES)
Tell the trainee teachers to think about the following scenario and to discuss how they think this
student should get prepared for the exam. Each group will present their views/opinion to the class.
Story: Leila is a student of Grade 9. In her school there is only one final exam. Teachers give
homework but none if it goes towards marks and there are no other tests/assessments during the
whole year. Her science teacher taught 6 chapters which was in the textbook and he assigned
questions only from the last 3 chapters each year and almost every year he assigns similar types of

questions in the exam. If anyone can solve those questions, they wont even have to read the book.
Leila heard it from the students who are in grade-10 now. Her final exam is approaching.

How should she get prepared for the exam?

Would she read the whole book? Why or why not?

Would she read the book at all? Why or why not?

If there were no other assessments besides the final exam, would she have studied
throughout the whole year?

Do you think assessment is leading learning? And should teaching, assessment and learning
have correlation with each other?
ACTIVITY 2: RETHINKING TESTS (40 MINUTES)

We all are asked to give tests, but what makes a test effective?

Characteristics of a Good Test

The following are the characteristics of a good test:
1. Valid - It means that it measures what it is supposed to measure
2. Reliable- A test is reliable if we get the same results repeatedly
3. Comprehensive - It covers all the items that have been taught
4. Appropriate in difficulty - It is neither hard nor too easy
5. Clear - Questions and instructions should easily be understood by the students
6. Appropriate in Time - A good test should be finished on a given time allotment.
7. Economy - It respects the teachers limited time for preparing and grading and it makes the
best use of the pupils assigned time for answering all items.
CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES (CATS)
Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are formative evaluation methods that serve two
purposes. They can help you to assess the degree to which your students understand the course
content and they can provide you with information about the effectiveness of your teaching
methods. CATs should be quick and easy to use and can be used every day. Each CAT provides
different kinds of information.

For Teachers

CATs provide day-to-day feedback that can be applied immediately

CATs provide useful information about what students have learned without the amount of
time required for preparing tests, reading papers, etc.;

CATs address student misconceptions or lack of understanding in a timely way

CATs foster good working relationships with students and encourage them to understand
that teaching and learning are ongoing processes that require full participation.


For Students

CATs help develop self-assessment and learning management skills;

CATs reduce feelings of isolation and impotence, especially in large classes;

CATs increase understanding and ability to think critically about the course content;

CATs foster an attitude that values understanding and long-term retention;

CATs show your interest and caring about their success in your classroom.

How may I use CATs?

The following is a partial chart of CAT exercises, indicating the kind of evaluation for which each is
intended, what each is called, how each is conducted, what to do with the information you collect,
and an approximation of the relative amount of time each requires.

Course Knowledge and Skills One-Minute Paper: During last few minutes of class
period, ask students to use a half-sheet of paper and write Most important thing I
learned today and what I understood least. Review before next class meeting

Muddiest Point: Similar to One-Minute Paper but only ask students to describe what
they didnt understand and what they think might help.

Chain Notes: Pass around a large envelope with a question about the class content.
Each student writes a short answer, puts it in the envelope, and passes it on. Sort
answers by type of answer. At next class meeting, use to discuss ways of
understanding.

Student-generated test questions: Divide the class into groups and assign each group a
topic on which they are each to write a question and answer for the next test. Each
student should be assured of getting at least one question right on the test. Use as
many of the questions as possible, combining those that are similar.

Attitudes, Values, and Self-Awareness Journals: Ask students to keep journals that
detail their thoughts about the class. May ask them to be specific, recording only
attitudes, values, or self-awareness. Have students turn in the journals several times
during the semester so you can chart changes and development.

Reactions to Instruction Methods Exam Evaluations: Select a test that you use
regularly and add a few questions at the end which ask students to evaluate how well
the test measures their knowledge or skills. Make changes to the test if necessary.

Student Representative Group: Ask students to volunteer to meet as a small group

with you on a regular basis to discuss how the course is progressing, what they are
learning, and suggestions for improving the course. Some issues will be for your
information, some to be addressed in class.

Suggestion Box: Put a box near the classroom door and ask students to leave notes
about any class issue. Review and respond at the next class session.

Course 5: Teacher Leaders as Community Agents of Change

INTRODUCTION
We believe that leaders arent born or made, but emerge. They show up when they are needed
the most. They seize an opportunity to make their lives (and those lives around them) better, more
significant, healthier, more hopeful.
At over 59 million, teachers are the largest professionally trained group in the world. They know
who is sick or missing or orphaned by AIDS. They know who has promise and who needs to catch
up. Teachers are the catalyst and the glue that holds society together. In the end, a society is only
as good as its teachers.
Yet teacher professional development around the world can be spotty, inconsequential, or missing
entirely. We have to fill the gap. It is up to you.
So, as we become a teacher, we should also become a community leader. It begins with a
professional statement of who we are our beliefs, values, and approach to teaching.

Leadership and Management: Two Different Ideas

Leadership is doing the right thing. Leaders have vision, take initiative, influence people, make
proposals, organize logistics, solve problems, follow-up, and - most of all - take responsibility. In
short, leadership is about being effective (and doing so with integrity).
Managers do things right. Great managers make the system work. Things are clear and organized.
Great Managers create systems to manage complexity and clarify roles a way for things to happen.
In short, management is about being efficient.
Great teachers are both leaders and managers. That is why the job is so complex.

The model of one leader on top, with many followers at the bottom, isn't workable anymore. That
is why leadership development should be a central activity for any leader. You can develop a team
of leaders around you. Leadership doesn't have to be a lonely business. You can train people to
competently share your responsibilities, vision, and commitment.
Whether we know it or not, everything we do in the classroom models our approach to leadership
and management. Our students are listening and paying attention to our every move, so what we
say and how we say it matters a great deal. We may not be able to say how we are a manager
and a leader, but we show it every day. This leads us to key questions:

What role you can play to build your students leadership skills?

How can you provide a relevant, significant, "real world" educational experience for
students so that they may see the importance of learning, management, and leadership?

How might we teach positive values, leadership, citizenship, and personal responsibility?

How might we use community problem-solving activities to encourage students to become

active members of their own communities?
How do we connect our curriculum requirements to pressing social problems, give students
a greater understanding of the issues in their communities, and equip them to make
intelligent decisions about those issues in their later careers and civic lives?

I am a Teacher: My Professional Statement

A professional statement is a declaration of your teaching philosophy. It is an opportunity to
describe your approach to teaching, how you view your educational practice, and how you
have developed as a professional.

ACTIVITY: I AM A TEACHER BECAUSE (30-45 MINUTES)

In groups, discuss the following:

What I Believe

Why I Teach

How I Want to Teach

What do you want to keep in your teaching practice and what do you want to throw
away. Why?

What are the challenges that lie ahead?

Example: I am educating young people:

To help instill within them a sense of appreciation and wonder for our world

To help them become caring parents, spouses, and community members

To help them become co-creators in building lasting relationships and communities

To help them become responsible citizens, and creative, independent thinkers


ACTIVITY: LEADERSHIP AND INCLUSIVE, LEARNING-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT (ILFE)
(45-60 MINUTES)
We discussed the power of inclusive learning. Weve discussed leadership. Now it is time to see
how we can build inclusive schools. This survey from UNESCO-Bangkok provides a strong outline
for what to look for (and what to build) when planning an ILFSE.
The central question is this: What is your school already doing to create an inclusive, learning-
friendly environment?

Materials: copes of the following survey for each person attending the workshop

School Policies and Administrative Support

My school
______ has a mission and/or vision statement and policies about inclusive, learning-friendly
education, including a policy against discrimination;
______ has a master list of all children in the community, whether enrolled or not, and has
individual records of why children have not enrolled;

______ conducts regular campaigns to encourage parents to enrol their children, ones that
emphasize that ALL children should be enrolled and are welcome;
______ has copies of documents or resources at national or regional levels that address inclusive
education for children with diverse backgrounds and abilities;
______ knows which professional organizations, advocacy groups, and community organizations
offer resources for inclusive education;
______ shows in specific ways that school administrators and teachers understand the nature and
importance of inclusive education;
______ has prepared a list of barriers that prevent the school from fully developing an ILFE and a
list of ways to overcome these barriers;
______ is aware of and is changing school policies and practicessuch as costs and daily
schedulesthat prevent some girls and boys from receiving a quality education;
______ provides flexibility to teachers to pursue innovative teaching methods for helping all
children to learn;
______ has links with the community, is responsive to the needs of the community, and provides
opportunities for exchanging ideas with the community to bring about positive changes in inclusive
practices;
______ responds to needs of the staff and is not exploitative;
______ has effective support, supervision, and monitoring mechanisms in which everyone
participates in learning about and documenting changes in inclusive practices, as well as in making
future decisions.

School Environment
My school
______ has facilities that meet the needs of all students, such as separate toilets for girls and ramps
(not stairs) for students with physical disabilities;
Toolkit for Creating Inclusive, Learning-Friendly Environments
______ has a welcoming, healthy, and clean environment;
______ has a steady supply of clean, safe drinking water and serves or sells healthy, nutritious
food;
______ has (or has a plan to develop) a diverse school staff (women and men with different
backgrounds in race, ethnicity, physical ability, religion, language, socioeconomic status, etc.);
______ has staff, such as counselors and bilingual teachers, who can identify and help with the
students individual learning needs;
______ has processes and procedures in place that help all teachers and teaching staff, parents and
children to work together to identify and assist with students special learning needs;
______ focuses on teamwork among teachers and students;
______ has links with health authorities who provide periodic health examinations for children.

Teachers Skills, Knowledge, and Attitudes

Our teachers
______ can explain the meaning of inclusive and learning-friendly environments and can show
examples
______ believe that all childrengirls, poor or wealthy children, language and ethnic minority
children, as well as those with disabilitiescan learn;
______ are involved in finding school-age children who are not in school to see that they get an
education;
______ know about diseases that cause physical, emotional, and learning disabilities; and can help
unhealthy students to get proper care;
______ receive annual medical examinations, along with other school staff;
______ have high expectations for ALL children and encourage them to complete school;
______ are aware of resources that are available to assist children with more individual learning
needs;
______ can identify culture and gender bias in teaching materials, the school environment, and in
their own teaching, and can correct this bias;
______ help students learn to identify and correct gender and culture bias in learning materials and
correct it in a culturally sensitive manner;
______ adapt curriculum, lessons, and school activities to the needs of children with diverse
backgrounds and abilities;
______ use content, language, and strategies in their teaching that help all students to learn;

______ can assess childrens learning in ways that are appropriate to the childrens abilities and
needs;
______ are reflective and open to learning, adapting, experimenting, and changing;
______ are able to work as a team with other teachers, children, parents and community members,
as well as education authorities.

Teacher Development
Our teachers
______ attend workshops or classes on developing an ILFE classroom and school, receiving
advanced professional training on a regular basis;
______ give presentations to other teachers, parents, and community members on developing an
ILFE classroom;
______ receive ongoing support for improving their understanding of the subject matter
______ receive ongoing support for developing teaching and learning materials for ILFEs;
______ receive ongoing support from school administrators through regular observation and a
written supervisory plan;
______ have a work area or lounge where they can prepare lesson materials and share ideas, and
teachers can visit model ILFE schools.

Students
In our school
______ ALL school-age children in the community attend school regularly.
______ ALL students have textbooks and learning materials that match their learning needs.
______ ALL students receive regular assessments to help them monitor their progress.
______ Children with diverse backgrounds and abilities have equal opportunities to learn and to
express themselves in the classroom and at school.
______ ALL children are followed up if their attendance is irregular
______ ALL children have equal opportunities to participate in all school activities.
______ ALL students help to develop guidelines and rules in the classroom and in the school
regarding inclusion, non-discrimination, violence, and abuse.

Academic Content and Assessment

Our curriculum and learning materials
______ The curriculum allows for different teaching methods to meet different learning rates and
styles, particularly for children with special learning needs.
______ The content of the curriculum relates to the everyday experiences of ALL children in the
school whatever their background or ability.
______ The curriculum integrates literacy, numeracy and life skills into all subject areas.
______ Teachers use locally available resources to help children learn.

______ Curriculum materials include pictures, examples and information about many different
kinds of people, including girls and women, ethnic minorities, people of different castes and
social/economic backgrounds, as well as people with disabilities.
______ Children with learning difficulties have opportunities to review lessons and improve upon
them, or to have additional tutoring.
______ The curriculum promotes attitudes such as respect, tolerance, and knowledge about ones
own and others cultural backgrounds..
______ Teachers have various assessment tools to measure students knowledge, skills, and
attitudes (including student self-assessment), rather than only depending upon examination scores.

Special Subject Areas/Extra-Curricular Activities

Our children with special needs
______ Children with physical disabilities have opportunities for physical play and development.
______ Girls have the same access to and opportunities for physical play (such as equal time on the
football field) and other extracurricular activities as boys.
______ All children have opportunities to read, write, and learn in their own language when they
first enter school and, if possible, continuing thereafter.
______ The school shows respect for children of all religions; children have opportunities to learn
about different religious traditions, as appropriate, during the school day.

Community
Our community
______ Parents and community groups know about ILFE and can help the school become an ILFE.
______ The community helps the school reach out to ALL children excluded from school.
______ Parents and community groups offer ideas and resources about the implementation of ILFE.
______ Parents receive information from the school about their childrens attendance and
achievement.
This self-assessment checklist will help you and your colleagues to begin planning and creating an
ILFE in your school. Implementing an ILFE is an ongoing process. You, your colleagues, parents, and
community members will want to review this checklist at different times of the year to monitor
whether you are moving at an acceptable rate toward becoming an ILFE.

ACTIVITY: HOW CAN OUR SCHOOL BECOME AN ILFE? (60 MINUTES)
[For the Facilitator]: Discuss how would you answer a teacher from another school who asks,
What do we need to do to become a school that has an Inclusive, Learning-Friendly Environment?
What are the obstacles? What are the challenges? What are the opportunities? What strategy
might work? Work in groups or ask teachers to run their own workshops for their schools and
communities.


ADULT LEARNING
Adult learners are busy people. Adult learners seek a way to improve their social status;
increase their sense of belonging; gain social recognition; and participate in the affairs of their
community. Many seek to overcome feelings of inferiority brought about by illiteracy or a lack
of education and sincerely wish to overcome embarrassment and discomfort. They seek to be
admired by others; to satisfy curiosity; and to win the affection and respect of others. g

Six Principles of Adult Learning

1. You can learn how to learn.
2. You are already a superb learner on occasion and you can build on your natural skill to make

the rest of your learning easy, enjoyable, and productive.

3. You have your own personal learning style, which you can identify, take advantage of, and

strengthen to become an even more accomplished learner.

4. You learn best when you are most active mentally (and sometimes physically), making your

own decisions about what, how, where, and when to learn and using strategies to activate
your mind.
5. You can design your optimal learning environment, one that makes learning more

comfortable and hence more effective.

6. You can learn most enjoyably by choosing from a rich array of media, methods, and

experiences.

AFFINITY-MAPPING EXERCISE: YOUR ADULT LEARNING (90 MINUTES)
Materials

Room on the walls of the workshop space to allow free movement of teachers to walk
around

Index cards: 5 for each person

Tape or thumbtacks (whatever is acceptable for attaching the index cards to the wall)

What is Affinity Mapping?

What is Affinity Mapping is a process of grouping notes by similarity and levels of

importance. The affinity part has to do with items or points that share characteristics.
Mapping is about setting a course by organizing those items or points in order to
create a map of what to do next.

The technique of Affinity Mapping lets us allow the imagination to express itself, yet
also helps to organize similar ideas together. This can be done as a group of individuals
(example: establishing priorities for a collaboration); a class (examples: setting

classroom rules or deciding upon a community service project); or an organization

(example: deciding upon a strategic business plan).

[For the Facilitator]: Form diverse groups of 5 people each and ask the teachers to
reflect about the past few days sessions and to write 5 points about what they learned
that they would like to apply in their own teaching. Encourage them to share their
points with their smaller group and then the larger group. Ask them to consider the Six
Principles listed above.

Facilitate the small group discussion

When that discussion has finished, ask the first group to place their index cards on the
wall. Ask them to stay there and sort them out. For instance, if many of them want to
work on classroom management or ICTs or cooperative learning, place similar cards
together (vertically).

The facilitator must guide this activity so that it is not chaotic. The image below is an
example of an exercise using post-it notes on a window.

The facilitator works with the first group to group the notes under general headings

No note can be thrown away, even if it is the exact same as another note for two
reasons (1) everyones voice must be heard (2) duplicate notes show the importance

Then the next group comes up and places their notes on the wall. They can add their
notes underneath the same headings or suggest a new

Each group that follows will follow the same procedure.

The entire group of teachers (no groupings for this exercise)

The Fundamentals of Adult Learning

Adults learn best when they can relate new knowledge and information with previously learned
knowledge, information and experiences.

Provide opportunities for learners to reflect upon and share their existing knowledge
and experience.

Create learning activities that involve the use of past experience or knowledge.

Ask learners to identify the similarities and differences between what they are learning
and what they already know.

Adults tend to prefer self-directed, autonomous learning, but this is often not an
expectation of educational institutions and society.

Design training around participants' needs and goals.

Ask adult participants what they want to learn. Learners learn best when they establish
a specific learning objective or goal for themselves.

Give them tools to help develop and focus their self-directed efforts and facilitate
learning, rather than lecture them.

Provide opportunities for learners to direct their own learning through guided inquiry
and self-facilitated small-group discussions.

Minimize embarrassment adults have self-pride and desire respect. They need their
experience, beliefs, knowledge, questions and ideas acknowledged as important.
Because learning involves risk and the possibility of failure, design training to minimize
each learners risk and embarrassment

Provide opportunities for learners to share ideas, questions, opinions, experiences,

concerns, etc. and to create an environment that honors and respects everything that
is appropriately shared.

Make it safe for learners to express their confusion, anxieties, doubts and fears.

Provide opportunities for "small wins" and little victories in the learning process - to
build competencies incrementally.

Adults want practical, goal-oriented and problem-centered learning that can

immediately help them deal with life's challenges.

Share examples and stories that relate the learning content to participant's current
challenges. Ask learners to share their own examples that make this linkage.

Engage learners in identifying the challenges they face and the value of learning to
addressing these challenges.

Strengthen learner self-esteem is strengthened through team-based learning, based on

mutual trust and respect.

Follow theories with practical examples and applications to demonstrate the relevance
of the learning.

Adults desire feedback on the progress they are making at learning something new.

Provide opportunities for learners to get immediate feedback to their own learning
through case examples, role-playing, quizzes and responses to trainer questions.

Encourage learners to self-evaluate and assess their own learning and performance.

Praise any level of learning improvement and encourage continued learning.

Wherever and whenever possible, design learning around multiple intelligences and
cooperative learning.

Free learners to learn in the style that best suits them by using small group work,
discussions in pairs, and individual activities.

Adults are motivated to learn by a wide variety of factors. These are the most common:
personal aspirations, externally imposed expectations, internal desire or interest,
escape from a situation (boredom or fear), growth and advancement, and service to
others; it is important to inquire into the reasons participants are interested in
learning.

Make a connection between the learning content and each learner's long-term
objectives (in work and life).

ACTIVITY: PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE (60 MINUTES)
Teacher professional development is not a defined by how many workshops one develops or how
many courses one takes. True teacher professional development is the act of learning from and
with each other. Each country, and each region within that country, has (or should have) formal
and non-formal structures to ensure that teachers (a) discuss teaching and learning with each other
regularly (b) observe each others classrooms (c) build learning plans that meet individual teachers
needs and the needs of the school community
Think about the following possible ways teachers can gather and learn from each other.
Afterwards, we will have an open discussion about what may or may not work.
Book Study
Book study groups are an effective form of professional development that educators at all levels
can use to facilitate their professional growth. Book studies work best if the participants have
similar skills and interests. However, varying viewpoints are important because they inject diversity
of opinion and enliven discussion. One of the first matters on which the group must reach
consensus is a schedule for reading and discussion. If the book study is to consist of four to eight
meetings in all, then each meeting should last between 60 and 90 minutes.

Choose a book on a topic that interests everyone in the group but that is sufficiently open-ended to
encourage new learning through reading and discussion. The book should be thought provoking
and have enough depth to stimulate debate. At the conclusion of the book study, ask the following
questions: Did the book stimulate thought and discussion? Did the group study meet the learning
objectives? How might the group study experience be improved?
Classroom/School Visitation
Teachers visit the classrooms of colleagues to view innovative teaching practices and expand and
refine their own personal pedagogy. School administrators may benefit from visiting a school in the
jurisdiction or another jurisdiction to view the facility, explore alternatives for organizing resources
and discuss leadership strategies with the hosting school administrator.
Classroom and school visitations may range from a single day up to two weeks and/or multiple
visits over time.
Collaborative Curriculum Development
Collaborative curriculum development provides a unique opportunity for teachers to delve deeply
into their subject matter. Working together, teachers can design new planning materials, teaching
methods, resource materials and assessment tools.
Conferences/Workshops
Conferences/workshops can provide very effective professional development opportunities,
particularly when they are part of a teachers ongoing professional development plan. Teachers can
arrange conferences/workshops within the school or collaboratively with other schools. These
workshops can be offered as full or half-day sessions or as part of an ongoing program of school-
based professional development.
Community/Service Organizations
Community and/or service organizations provide an opportunity for teachers and school
administrators to develop leadership skills and gain important knowledge related to their role and
community context. Examples of community/service organizations include church, service clubs,
sporting groups etc.
Examining Student Work
Student work provides teachers with a critical source of information about how a student is
learning, developing, acquiring new knowledge and applying new skill sets. Examples: writing
samples, projects, oral reports and pictures. Thinking analytically about the work can give teachers
greater insights into teaching and learning. The information can also be used in study groups.
Journaling
Journaling is a technique for recording observations and reflections. The entries may be related to
teaching, student growth, and the implementation of a new initiative or any subject for which a
teacher may want to develop a record. The journal can provide a rich, qualitative record of events
and activities.

Lesson Study
Lesson study is a professional development process that Japanese teachers engage in to
systematically examine and improve their practice. In this process, teachers work collaboratively to
plan, teach, observe and critique a small number of study lessons. To provide focus and direction to
this work, teachers select an overarching goal and related research question that they want to
explore. This research question guides their work on all the study lessons. Teachers then jointly
draw up a detailed plan for the lesson that one of the teachers delivers to students in a real
classroom.
Other group members observe the lesson. The group then meets to discuss their observations.
Often, the group revises the lesson, and another teacher delivers it in a second classroom, while
group members again look on. The group then meets again to discuss the observed instruction.
Finally, the teachers produce a report of what their study lessons have taught them, particularly
with respect to their research question.
Mentors and Mentorship
Mentoring is a confidential process through which an experienced professional provides another
with information, support, feedback and assistance for the purpose of refining present skills,
developing new ones and enhancing problem solving and decision making in a way that promotes
professional development.
Beginning teachers are in greatest need of the support that will enhance their classroom
management and instructional skills. They also need support systems that will help them see
teaching as a collegial, rather than an isolated endeavor. Mentors can provide the advice,
suggestions and constructive feedback that can make the difference between whether a new
teacher succeeds or fails.
Mentorship is most beneficial when it is based on an action plan that includes goals and strategies.
Mentoring is an effective process to support teachers whether they are new to the profession, new
to a curriculum or grade level.
School Improvement Teams
Changes in school organization and roles within the school require teachers to rethink what
professional development means and who controls it. Decentralized decision-making affords the
opportunity to explore the talent that resides within the school. Strategic planning empowers all
members of the school communityadministrators, teachers, support staff, parents, trustees and
other stakeholdersby enabling them to build their future exactly as they want it at the
professional and personal levels.
The strategic planning process also involves reaching a consensus on the expectations of the
organizations. The value of strategic planning depends on the extent to which the school
administration and staff are willing to change and to invest the time required to bring about that
change.

Study Groups
Study groups involve small groups of educators who meet regularly to work on a predetermined
project. This approach to professional development benefits both teachers and administrators by
bringing colleagues together to undertake in a group setting a task that they would normally do in
isolation. The optimum size for a study group is about six so that each participant is equally
responsible for the success of the group.
Commitment to a study group is greatly enhanced when participants are directly involved in setting
the task and its parameters. Whether the task chosen is implementing a new curriculum,
demonstrating the use of math manipulative, researching theories of teaching and learning, or
studying strategies for school administration, the group must stay focused on its purposeto
create an environment conducive to student learning. The study group provides the structure; the
participants concentrate on content.

Open Discussion: What initiatives can you take to build a teachers professional development
group and what activities can that group do for the professional development of the teachers of
that community? To implement a study group, follow these steps:

Define the task

Set regular meeting times and places

Establish appropriate meeting behaviours

Create an action plan

Choose a shared decision-making process

Contemplate appropriate leadership roles

Promote a climate of shared commitment

Consider logistics of time, space and money

Discuss criteria for achieving and evaluating goals.

As the work of the study group progresses, participants may decide to redefine goals or to invite a
specialist to attend a scheduled meeting. Study groups work best in a collaborative environment
that allows for intellectual exchange and shared experience.

Additional Teachers Without Borders Courses & Resources

Haiti Teacher Education Program in French (2013)

Bridges to Understanding: Classroom-to-classroom global problem-solving curriculum.

Please request access to our wiki and our network)

Certificate of Teaching Mastery (French and Spanish)

Earthquake Science and Safety (Downloadable content in French and Kryl)

Education in Emergencies (Please request course invitation)

Girls' Education (Please request course invitation)

Global Education (Please request course content)

ICTs for Education (full degree program)

Teaching English as a Second Language (Please request invitation to our wiki)

Peace and Human Rights Education (Please request course invitation)

Plus workshops, content, and resources for: bullying; child-friendly classrooms; climate change;
conflict resolution; cognitive disabilities; leadership and capacity building; learning disabilities;
problem-solving and project-based learning; service learning; teacher mentorships.

Example Workshop Plan in French

1. 8h-8h30

Informatique

2. 8h30-9h

Salutation - Prsentation individuelle

3.

Prsentation du Protocole

4. 9h-9h15

Appel Nominal-Icebreaking activity

5. 9h15-9h30

Introduction au programme

6. 9h30-10h30

Rflexion sur son Identit Professionnelle

7. 10h30-12h

Travail en Ateliers:

8.

1) Les aspects dun bon Enseignement

9.

2) Les caractristiques dun Enseignant

10. 12h-13h

Break-Lunch

11. 13h-14h

Mise en commun des trois premiers groupes

12.

Les aspects dun bon Enseignement.

Commentaires du grand groupe

13. 14h-14h30

14. 14h30-15h30

Mise en commun des quatre autres groupes

15.

Les caractristiques dun bon Enseignant

16. 15h30-16h

Commentaires du grand groupe

17.

Distribution des supports (documents)

18. 16h00

Dpart

DAY TWO

1. 8h

Informatique

2. 8h30

Appel nominal-Mise en train

3. 9h

Test chronomtr - Commentaires

4. 9h30

Travail en ateliers (les thoriciens du nouveau Millnaire)

5. 10h30

Mise en commun (les trois premiers groupes)

6.

Commentaires du grand groupe

7. 12h

Lunch

8. 13h

Mise en commun (les quatre autres groupes)

9.

Commentaires

10. 15h30

Synthse

11. 16h00

Dpart

DAY THREE

1. 8h

Informatique

2. 8h30

Icebreaking activity

3. 9h

Travail en ateliers (les thories de lapprentissage)

4. 10h

Mise en commun des trois premiers groupes

5.

Commentaires

6. 11h

Pause

7. 11h15

Mise en commun des quatre autres groupes

8.

Commentaires

9. 12h15

Lunch

10. 13h15

Commentaires (Suite)

11. 14h30

Evaluation-Dernires informations pour la suite de la Formation

12. 16h00

Dpart

Grille DEvaluation

Nom de lenseignant1: _____________________________________

__

Date dobservation de la classe: ________________ Horaire: ______

Matire: __________________ Evaluateur: ____________________
Ajoutez une croix dans la case qui correspond votre jugement

1
Toujours

2
Souvent

3
Rarement

4
Jamais

Intrt de lenseignant pour son cours

Lenseignant ..
a) cherche donner aux apprenants lenvie dapprendre
b) fait preuve dhumour
c) utilise des supports techniques qui amliorent lapprentissage
d) lit ses notes ou un document crit
e) est ponctuel
f) fait preuve de conviction de son discours
g) est motiv et fait montre de lenthousiasme

Lenseignant ..

a) nonce clairement les objectifs de son cours

b) prsente le cours de manire organise
c) donne des documents de travail
d) fait des transitions logiques entre les comptences
e) fait des synthses logiques lors de son cours et pour clore le cours
f) emploie des mthodes denseignement (travaux pratiques,
travaux de groupes et individuels) permettent une appropriation des
connaissances.
g) cre une atmosphre de travail propice lapprentissage
h) utilise et encourage lapprentissage coopratif

Organisation du cours

14.

Terme utilis titre gnrique, sans aucun prjug de genre.

Clart du cours

Lenseignant ..

a) utilise une introduction approprie (Brainstorming, Icebreaking

activities)
b) varie sa voix
c) sexprime clairement et vrifie la comprhension des apprenants
d) avance dans son cours avec une vitesse mesure
e) utilise le tableau pour rendre son cours plus clair
f) varie sa mthode denseignement dpendamment des activits
g) prsente la matire de faon claire et structure.

Relation enseignant- apprenants

Lenseignant ..
a) montre de lintrt pour les apprenants
b) accepte des points de vue divergents
c) apporte de laide en cas dincomprhension
d) montre du respect envers les apprenants
e) est un facilitateur, un coach
f) donne la possibilit aux apprenants de devenir des enseignants
g) est sensible aux besoins des apprenants et dveloppe un il sensible
h) appelle les apprenants par leurs noms
i) utilise de diffrents types dinteraction: Enseignant-apprenant ;
apprenant- enseignant ; apprenant-apprenant
j) identifie le(s) style(s) dapprentissage de ses apprenants
k) gre sa classe de manire efficace

Incitation la participation

Lenseignant ..

a) encourage les questions et les commentaires

b) questionne les apprenants individuellement et collectivement
c) incite les apprenants interagir
d) sollicite et encourage la participation
e) utilise un enseignement centr sur lapprenant ou sur les tches accomplir
f) utilise de lchafaudage

Lenseignant ..

a) utilise des exemples

b) identifie ce qui est ambigu et contradictoire pour les apprenants
c) souligne les points centraux

Explications


Attitudes des apprenants (auto-perception)

Les apprenants
a) sont attentifs et appliqus
b) participent activement au cours
c) sont motivs pour le cours
d) respectent lenseignant

Commentaires
Ce que lvaluateur a apprci le plus dans ce cours
Ce que lvaluateur souhaiterait modifier dans ce cours Propositions - Recommandations