[Grassroots-l] Teacher Preparation Program for the OLPC Project in Nepal — Part II , Onsite training

Edward Cherlin echerlin at gmail.com
Mon May 5 01:45:41 EDT 2008


On Sun, May 4, 2008 at 10:14 PM, Bryan Berry <bryan.berry at gmail.com> wrote:
> The stuff that needs to be translated is the 65 page teacher training
>  guide.  I believe that Prabhas Pokharel is interested in working on it
>  but I don't know how much time he has had for it as of late.

Is he on any of these lists? I would love to discuss it with him, and
I may be able to help once there is a rough translation. I know just
enough Sanskrit to almost totally fail to understand the Nepalese. ^_^

>  http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Image:OLENepal_Trainer%27s_Manual.pdf
>
>  I still need to post it in Word format to the wiki. That's my fault
>
>  It's a pretty amazing document, takes lots of Constructionist examples
>  from Piaget and Vygotsky that kids learn differently than we
>  traditionally expect them to. Then takes those examples and explains how
>  XO's can be used to help kids in the manner they naturally do.
>
>
>
>  On Sun, 2008-05-04 at 22:00 -0700, Edward Cherlin wrote:
>  > This is all excellent. It becomes even more urgent to have this
>  > material translated to English. Whom do we know who can help? Can
>  > others here ask for help through their networks on LinkedIn and other
>  > sites, or just their accumulated contacts in their address books, or
>  > any appropriate mailing lists?
>  >
>  > On Sun, May 4, 2008 at 5:25 PM, Bryan Berry <bryan.berry at gmail.com> wrote:
>  > > Dr. Saurav Dev Bhatta posted the review of the second week of teacher
>  > >  training, which took place on-site at the schools
>  > >
>  > >  http://blog.olenepal.org/index.php/archives/283
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >  We have just completed Part II of our teacher preparation program. The
>  > >  complete teacher training consisted of two segments:
>  > >
>  > >  Part I) A 4 day intensive residential, out-of-school training that
>  > >  focuses on integrating digitial educational materials and ICT-based
>  > >  teaching approaches in the regular classroom instruction process. This
>  > >  was completed on April 1, 2008. An earlier blog post has details about
>  > >  this segment of the training.
>  > >
>  > >  Part II) A 4 day training in the teachers' regular classrooms where they
>  > >  get hand-on experience in developing, implementing, and fine-tuning
>  > >  child-centric, interactive, ICT-integrated lesson plans. This was
>  > >  completed on Friday, May 2, 2008. The current post is about this segment
>  > >  only.
>  > >
>  > >  Training location
>  > >
>  > >  For Bashuki teachers, the training was held at Bashuki Lower Secondary
>  > >  School itself. Similarly, for Bishwamitra teachers, it was held at
>  > >  Bishwamitra Lower Secondary School.
>  > >
>  > >  Why in-school training?
>  > >
>  > >  Important fact: TEACHING THE KIDS HOW TO USE THE LAPTOPS IS A RELATIVELY
>  > >  EASY TASK. THEY PICK IT UP IN NO TIME (within a few hours!!).
>  > >
>  > >  Even more important fact: THE REAL CHALLENGE IS INTEGRATING THE LAPTOP
>  > >  AND THE AVAILABLE DIGITAL CONTENT IN THE REGULAR CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
>  > >  PROCESS.
>  > >
>  > >  The residential portion of the training did give the teachers some
>  > >  experience in integrating E-Paati in the classroom process (apart from
>  > >  making them completely familiar with the use of the laptop). But the
>  > >  simulated classroom environment in any residential training is a far cry
>  > >  from the actual setting in their own schools. Furthermore, since each
>  > >  school is very different in terms of physical infrastructure, student
>  > >  composition, community involvement and other resources, there are unique
>  > >  practical challenges associated with each school. So we felt that it
>  > >  would be very useful to give teachers hands-on experience in integrating
>  > >  E-Paati in their regular classrooms.
>  > >
>  > >  There is another important reason why in-school training is important in
>  > >  this case. In most teacher training programs, it is possible for
>  > >  teachers to learn about new approaches to teaching outside their school
>  > >  (for example, through practice teaching in another school) and they can
>  > >  take this knowledge to their own classrooms later. But in the present
>  > >  context, successful implementation in the classroom also requires the
>  > >  students themselves to learn about the new approach to learning and
>  > >  teaching. And this can only happen in the school where the laptop
>  > >  program is being implemented.
>  > >
>  > >  Structure of the training
>  > >
>  > >  Each day of the training was divided into four major segments:
>  > >
>  > >  1. Lesson plan review and revision
>  > >
>  > >       * Content: group review of lesson plan for the day.
>  > >       * Participants: all the teachers in the schools + facilitators
>  > >         from OLE Nepal
>  > >       * Time allocated: 1 hour (before the start of classes)
>  > >
>  > >  2. Classroom instruction and observation
>  > >
>  > >       * Content: classroom teaching according to the lesson plan
>  > >       * Participants: teachers (one teacher teaches the students; the
>  > >         rest are observers) + OLE Nepal observers + students
>  > >       * Time allocated: 3 to 4 full class periods (one period = 45
>  > >         minutes in Bashuki; one period = 40 minutes in Bishwamitra)
>  > >
>  > >  3. Feedback
>  > >
>  > >       * Content: discussion on the day's experience (strengths,
>  > >         weaknesses, recommendations for improvement)
>  > >       * Participants: all teachers + OLE Nepal facilitators
>  > >       * Time allocated: 1-1.5 hours
>  > >
>  > >  4. Lesson planning for the next day
>  > >
>  > >       * Content: development of a detailed lesson plans for each class
>  > >       * Participants: teachers delivering the lectures in these classes
>  > >       * Time allocated: 1 hour
>  > >
>  > >  On the first day of the training (Saturday, April 26), the teachers
>  > >  focused on teaching the students how to use the laptop and the E-Paati
>  > >  activities in the laptop. This was done in two 1.5 hour long sessions.
>  > >
>  > >  During the remaining four days, the teachers conducted regular math and
>  > >  English classes in grades two and six according to the ICT-integrated
>  > >  lesson plans they developed. At Bishwamitra the ICT-integrated classes
>  > >  were held on Sunday (April 27) , Monday (April 28), Tuesday (April 29)
>  > >  and Wednesday (April 30). Bashuki conducted similar classes starting
>  > >  Monday (April 29). But since they had decided to keep the laptops in
>  > >  school for this first week of classes, they set aside Wednesday (April
>  > >  30) for giving students more practice on how to use the laptops. They
>  > >  had a break on Thursday and completed the training program on Friday
>  > >  (May 2).
>  > >
>  > >  Overview of content covered in the training
>  > >
>  > >  Lesson planning: Integrating ICT-based educational materials in the
>  > >  classroom requires teachers to carefully plan their lessons. We wanted
>  > >  to give the teachers a very simple framework for developing lesson plans
>  > >  so that they would continue to use it even after the training. If they
>  > >  were to use it throughout the year, they would have to see that planning
>  > >  the lessons would not really take up too much of their time—and that it
>  > >  would help them in their other classes as well.
>  > >
>  > >  Each lesson plan in this training consisted of the following: a) listing
>  > >  of the learning objectives of the class, b) listing and brief
>  > >  descriptions of the topics or activities to be covered in the class, and
>  > >  c) listing of time allocated for each topic or activity. E-Paati
>  > >  activites were integrated in each lesson plan as one of the many
>  > >  activities covered to meet the learning objectives of the class. We
>  > >  emphasized that the goal should be to integrate E-paati in the classroom
>  > >  lesson plan; not devise a lesson plan around the E-Paati activities. As
>  > >  a rule of thumb, we emphasized that E-Paati use should not take up more
>  > >  than 40% of the total time allocated for the class.
>  > >
>  > >  Lesson plan review and revision: The lesson plans developed were
>  > >  critically reviewed and revised by all the teachers together to make
>  > >  sure that a) the learning objectives of lesson were properly clarified,
>  > >  b) the topics covered—including E-Patti topics—were consistent with the
>  > >  stated learning objectives, and c) the time allocated for each
>  > >  topic/activity was appropriate.
>  > >
>  > >  Classroom instruction and observation: This segment of the daily
>  > >  training was designed to (i) give subject teachers hands-on experience
>  > >  in teaching according to the integrated lesson plans and (ii) enable
>  > >  other teachers to critically examine the teaching-learning process in
>  > >  the regular classroom. Hence, while the subject teacher was conducting
>  > >  the lesson, the other teachers noted down their critical observations in
>  > >  the following areas:
>  > >
>  > >  a) Classroom structure (including appropriateness of seating
>  > >  arrangement, placement of charging racks, seat assignment schemes etc.)
>  > >
>  > >  b) Correspondence between lesson plan and practice
>  > >
>  > >  c) Time on task (effective use of time from the perspective of student
>  > >  learning)
>  > >
>  > >  d) Interaction (student—student; student—teacher) and participation of
>  > >  students in the learning process
>  > >
>  > >  e) Instruction delivery (clarity, adequacy of explanations, …)
>  > >
>  > >  f) Time and classroom management (including tackling disruptive behavior
>  > >  on the part of students)
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >  Feedback session: Feedback sessions were held at the end of each day to
>  > >  critically review the classroom process. The teachers delivering the
>  > >  lectures worked with the observers to analyze the strengths and
>  > >  weaknesses of the classes held that day focusing on the six areas listed
>  > >  above. Through these discussions, the participants were able to identify
>  > >  areas that needed improvement and develop strategies for tackling
>  > >  problems.
>  > >
>  > >  Grade 2 students at Bishwamitra (English class)–totally into it!
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >  Grade 6 students at Bishwamitra (math class)
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >  Bishwamitra grade 6 students working intesnsely-1
>  > >
>  > >  Staff involved in the training
>  > >
>  > >  Facilitators/observers:
>  > >
>  > >       * Saurav Dev Bhatta and Rabi Karmacharya (all five days)
>  > >       * Kamana Regmi (three days); Bipul Gautam (one day).
>  > >
>  > >  Most interesting outcomes
>  > >
>  > >       * Grade 6 students in both schools took just one day to become
>  > >         familiar with using the laptops!
>  > >       * The children at Bishwamitra were allowed to take the laptops
>  > >         home immediately after receiving them. The children at Bashuki,
>  > >         however, did not take the computers home this first week. Not
>  > >         surprisingly, we observed that the Bashuki kids were much more
>  > >         familiar with the machines by the second day of the training.
>  > >         The difference was more pronounced in the case of grade 2
>  > >         children—it took two days for the Bashuki grade 2 students to
>  > >         get the hang of things, while it took the Bishwamitra kids only
>  > >         one day.
>  > >       * In both schools, the teachers had no experience in designing and
>  > >         using systematic lesson plans. They were very appreciative of
>  > >         the experience they gained during this training period.
>  > >       * One of the main challenges teachers initially faced when
>  > >         designing ICT-integrated lessons was in focusing on the learning
>  > >         objectives rather than on the E-Paati activities.
>  > >       * The biggest difficulties faced by the teachers in the classroom
>  > >         were a) getting the attention of students and b) managing the
>  > >         time. Once the students had the laptops in front of them, they
>  > >         were generally oblivious to what the teacher was saying. It was,
>  > >         therefore, very difficult for the teacher to cover all the
>  > >         material that needed to be covered in that class period. For
>  > >         example, on the second day of the training, the classes ran up
>  > >         to 30 minutes overtime on the second day of the training.
>  > >       * It was much more challenging for the teachers to get the
>  > >         attention of the grade 2 students. In fact, on the first day,
>  > >         there was chaos in the grade 2 classes in both schools!
>  > >       * Initially, just the process of getting the laptops from the
>  > >         charging racks and putting them back after use took up a
>  > >         significant amount of time.
>  > >       * The most effective ways of getting the attention of students
>  > >         were as follows: asking all the students to close the laptops;
>  > >         asking them to clap together, or stand up and stretch together;
>  > >         producing an alien sound that would grab their attention (for
>  > >         example, rattling a can of marbles).
>  > >       * In the case of grade 6, by the end of the training, the teachers
>  > >         had completely figured out how to efficiently and effectively
>  > >         conduct E-Paati integrated classes within the time period
>  > >         allocated for the class. But they felt that it would perhaps
>  > >         take another week for them to fine tune the classroom process in
>  > >         grade 2.
>  > >       * Bishwamitra teachers Manoj (who teachers grade 6 math) and Bhim
>  > >         (who teaches grade 2 math) were naturals at designing and
>  > >         implementing E-Paati integrated classes. Very impressive!
>  > >       * The teachers in both schools felt that the most useful parts of
>  > >         the training were the feedback sessions at the end of the day
>  > >         and the lesson planning sessions.
>  > >       * The biggest technical problem during this period was the jumpy
>  > >         cursor. The problem was particularly bad at Bashuki. This is
>  > >         something we have to fix!!
>  > >
>  > >  Grade 2 students at Bashuki–a different seating arrangement!
>  > >
>  > >  Bashuki grade 2 students-1Bashuki grade 2 students-2
>  > >
>  > >  Grade 6 students at Bashuki
>  > >
>  > >  Bashuki grade 6 students-1
>  > >
>  > >  Our main "mantras" for the training
>  > >
>  > >       * The learning objectives should determine when and how E-Paati is
>  > >         used in class, not the other way round
>  > >       * E-paati should be viewed as one of the many tools and activities
>  > >         used to achieve the learning objectives
>  > >       * The goal is to integrate E-paati in the classroom lesson plan;
>  > >         not devise a lesson plan around the E-Paati activities
>  > >       * Effective classroom management can make the class; ineffective
>  > >         classroom management can break the class
>  > >       * Proper lesson planning is the key to successful integration of
>  > >         E-Paati in the classroom
>  > >       * End-of-the day group review of lessons is the key to improvement
>  > >
>  > >  Saurav Dev Bhatta, Education Director
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >  --
>  > >  Bryan W. Berry
>  > >  Systems Engineer
>  > >  OLE Nepal, http://www.olenepal.org
>  > >
>  > >
>  >
>  >
>  >
>
>



-- 
Edward Cherlin
End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business
http://www.EarthTreasury.org/
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay


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