Reporting from Cordoba, Spain

Hullo ndugu wadau,

It has been a while no reports from Mang´ola, well I like to think that I´ve been busy and occupied to what I really don´t know. 

Comprendes, I´d like to present this report live from Spain, a city called Cordoba where I´ve been since Fri 14th. Am here for some serious eye treatment, I got this cataract thing. Seen a lot and wished to post some photos but next time.

As for now naomba kuwakilisha! 

Victor looks BUSY!

Fr Lyamtane gets personal

There were some reasons to laugh also

Adelgunda from Visitation and Eveta who is MWUCE student on the way to the library to prepare, I guess, the portfolio

um

I posted this one after I realized that it was only yesterday I knew how BIG my nose is! Thanks Santa for taking this

After a busy, long morning session

Working together

Sr Stella, Philip, Maryflora, Innocent Samky and um, am sorry to forget your name!

Prof gets personal

Attentive to every detail as always, Mama Gus

Soja and Nyau

Am sorry Nyau I couldn't get your laughing face!

Less costs, effective teaching materials

On Friday we had Mr Allen discussing "Teaching without sufficient teaching materials", the task was given to spend less of the 5000 shillings. Mashaka Mahenge, Crispin Shayo "Nyau", Adelgunda, Serafine and Mugaya won. They made very practical but inexpensive periscope for a Physics class. Kudos guys, but I don't think your idea was novel"

The facilitators

Mr. Nzao will usually get really as excited as young gazelle at a mere mention anything with "participatory" and the use of "locally available material " He presented in Wes on "Teaching using participatory methods a large class" which to be honest was rather boring and uninteresting. But thanks amn you were good!


This man promised us participant all the good life at MWUCE, he's the Coordinator and he would peep in and check out what we were doing and helped a lot to put thing in simple Tanzania understanding, if I may call.


Sr Augustina and Prof Shelley

Profs Vavrus and Lesley

Did something went wrong or? Well, I can't guess but these were the brains behind this year's workshop, both from Teachers' College, Columbia Univ NY.
One thing I liked about them is that they are FOR OBAMA!

TIA 08: the photos are here!

The look on the face of Anitha and Rebecca tells it all! LOOK BUSY!


Sr. Stella and Edith, the nun is from Mtwara.

Prof Vavrus from the Teachers' College, Columbia Univ. NY stressing something over to Richard

We managed one or two sunny days were some of our guests who have never seen mount Kili were able to witness unleashing her beauty

For the pic

The maintainer of this blog wishes to express his sincere sorry for not having posted any photos to the moment, I took some and hopefully the will be on your screen before tomorrow evening, unless otherwise.

TIA: mid week and thur

This year's workshops are full of excitement and fun with lots of active activities, hot discussions and experiences. The seminar has now gone through the mid week with four cases already discussed. Wednesday was about the problem of using participatory m,ethods while teaching a large class, assume having a hundred and fifty young people making all that hell of noise and the discipline issues connected to that. Mr. Nzao presented using a rather vague case study as I may think and a lot of examples.
Today it was Sr. Augustina's turn to look at the problem that we all face in our classes of having students with varied learning speeds, cognitions, style etc. The day started off with a "Learning style questionnaire" which I scored RED meaning I am some sort of independent, unstructured, practical, self directed learner which I assume I possess. It was then followed by a discussion using a method called "discussion carousel". We had some reflection session and some teachers including me gave their experiences in the schools they are from. Most including me totally disagreed to the idea of streaming*grouping with very interesting account from Rev. Uwoya
I would say today wasn't as bored as it was yesterday that we witnessed some participant snoring off!!
During the evening session we were dealing with SoW, Lesson plans and teaching and learning aids. It reminded me of Mrs. Hellen and Miss Sussanah, I missed them both. I'm doing a form two topic "Water management for economic development" specifically on the sub-topic "Riveter Basin Development" of which I made a map for students simulation and role play activities on decision making,
The day is ended with smile on my face remembering the Tuesdays I had making models, posters, creating role plays or learning how to use a digital camera with Erick.
One thing I do not understand is the college website has got virtual nothing regarding this ongoing event. Can someone help me do something about it?

TIA 2008

So two days of the TIA seminar have ended, with a lot already learned, discussed: new methods and skill, in general this year's workshops are all but fruitful. It is though tiresome and sometimes well, boring!
We are now busy creating portfolios; schemes of work, lesson plans, teaching materials and notes, just a hell lot of things.
This years' seminar also introduced a new technique for teacher preparation prior to class sessions called Topic Design Plan (TDP). Being a very novel idea in Tanzania education, and I hope am privileged to one of the few first in Tanzania to get it, proved hard to get it through and right. But life's is a never ending school so I hope even my colleagues who have been to job for long than I are benefiting from this new experience.
Another intersting and difficult part is the construction of a case study story suitable for practical use in our classes, challenging but well worth it!

TIA 2008

Hello and welcome to my blog once more! I am writing from Mwenge University where am attending the second edition of the Teaching in Action (TIA) seminar and workshops. This year it has grown in number, content and facilitators including the brains behind the seminar Prof. Vavrus who was missing last year. We are here since Sunday evening and will be for the whole week till Saturday.
We've had two case studies done: Negative attitudes toward Maths and Issues pertaining to Discipline when using participatory approaches to teaching and general.

Lost, found!

I posted my last f****g entry last yera in Dec. I've been so busy I guess. Man'ola is where I still belong and used and familiar I am becoming.

Season's Greetings

'ts going to be Eid el Hajj, I hear there are usually lots of slaughtering here: goats and sheep are favourites, closely followed by X-Mas and after a week for those who'll be lucky New Year 2009. Nimekwenda kijijini, tunavyoondoka mujini kwenda huko tunataniwa kuwa tunaenda kwa sensa aka kuhesabiwa, wengine wanasema roll call na mengineyo. Labda kubwa ni kuwa Yesu atazaliwa Moshi kama kawaida na atashuka toka mlima Kili. Kama hutaki wala sikulazimishi. Usiku wa kuamkia leo ni balaa, bojo aka mvua ya maana imemwagika Shimbwe, Kishumundu na wapi huko sijui hakuendeki.
Mbarikiwe!!!

The School mag

I think I liked this....

TEACHER AND MY NEW FACE
Teacher’s my guardian, my way and my root of education. When you thresh your seed of origin ‘CHEMISTRY’ on me I play. Whatever you plant on me is for my grantage but for me this is the way it’s happen to me like this I do this and this are my results. Some of your word fell along the jokes, my foolishness trodden them and cover them with my wrapped carpet. Evil and bless my mind. I failed and make another trial the day, month a year passes like a ‘windstorm you’ advice me but this are my respond. In half of your advice of a fruitfully tree grew up with no root’s, when they started to grew because of my careless it dry up. in the days I tried, thorn grew with it and choked it.
Before you cleared your hands I get a shadow I reflect and this is my image. When you’re talking to me with my negligence they dry up. When i change I receive your seeds with joy but unluckily in tests they go away.
When I receive them fast stand by my own and my fruits are valueless. This is what happening to most of my fellow students and i. when you teach on the chalkboard at your back we make jokes. When you have test I sit at the back whispered you where serious I laugh twice .in my holiday chit my parents to go to tuition but not. When I have a speech or debate I act as I have no voice, troublesome and so on. Now I get and understand what you have said. But I’m too late. What about your future? Now I have to finish up form four brother’s and sister’s cry when I remember one day you said.”I will suffer with my companies why!”I come my self-wont turn my self’ it’s my fault, it’s my fault! How about you? By TWINS Doryn Doryc