Culture and Brain Power!

Today, I worked in a Standard 5 Social Studies classroom to model the concept of artifacts as representations of culture. I used a classic lesson, with photos of cups, yes cups from different cultures and times in history. The children explored the photos in small groups, drew inferences about the cultures from the photos, and discussed. The higher level thinking was running all over the classroom, and their inferences were stunningly well-informed and insightful.

Then, they created a cup of their own to represent something about themselves and their culture. Typical of children their age, we had many sports cups, hearts and butterflies, names and ages decorating cups around the room.

Each of these processes was completely new to the children, and the joyful enthusiasm for the task, with no concern about "right and wrong" (a real issue in schools in this part of the world) let me know that they are ready and anxious to take on big ideas and big thinking at a moment's notice. Hoping the teachers who observed it use the lesson as an example of how to raise the bar for learning, engage students actively, and produce big thinkers in the process. Fun day!

Hello Kitty

Girls are girls the world over! This student is the sponsor student of my friend Sherri. To find out how to sponsor a School of St Jude student, just visit their website: http://www.schoolofstjude.co.tz/

Mwujizi Kidogo

Many of you know that my sister, Jane sponsors a student who has special health issues and needs. It has been touch and go for him for quite some time, and without the sponsorship and support of the school, all believe he would not make it for very long. Since he has been with the school, he has received critical medical care and support, and is now in school most days, and doing better than could have been expected.

The most amazing thing of all is the level of absolute joy and happiness that surrounds his whole little being anytime you see him. One of the teachers yesterday visited his home with me and taught me a new Kiswahili phrase - Mwujizi Kidogo - the little miracle. Above and below are pictures - playing outside and in class working hard on his learning.

Bilali Update

I have been very pleased to see my sponsored student, Bilali again during this visit. He is getting taller and rounder, and is SLOWLY losing some of his shy nature. Yesterday, I went to the home of his Bibi (grandmother) to visit, and was pleased also to see her doing well.

I received his Term 2 report card yesterday, and while the road still seems a little rocky, the teachers assure me his English is improving, and that he is more actively participating in class in general. Above is a photo of me and Bilali during the home visit. As you can see, he is growing rapidly!

Data, Data, Data

Have spent the week gathering 2000 pieces of classroom practice data (amen for Freda, or we would never have completed the task!). We conducted random drop-in visits in each grade level and each content during the week. We have already seen their best (during scheduled visits), and now we are looking at what they do when they do not know we are coming in. Mixed, some great, some not so great, but all in all a typical result we would see in any school we work with.

I did see a wonderful visual art lesson, with instruction on the mathematical proportions of the human face, and practice with learning how to draw the face with correct proportions. So, of course you know that this posting is for my friend and colleague Catherine, who also loves to work with students and teachers using this same strategy. Above is a photo of the new visual art teacher, an interesting young man, quiet and patient, working on the strategy with a Standard 5 student.