By Kathy Allen and Phoebe Goodwin 

Teachers and administrators from twenty community schools in N’gombe  Compound participated in a teacher training workshop sponsored by the Kondwa Day Centre for Orphans during the KCF volunteer trip, Summer, 2007.  Conducted by Phoebe Goodwin, a middle school math and science teacher, and Kathleen Allen, a school psychologist, (both from Tucson, Arizona) the workshop focused on providing ideas for  classroom management; teaching methods for math, science and reading; and an understanding of different learning styles:  auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Among the 40 participants were teachers of preschool age children up to 7th grade, and a few school administrators. The teachers were a lively bunch of learners.  They actively participated in the sessions, sometimes as a large group and at other times in small learning groups. After meeting in small groups, teachers presented their ideas to all participants, providing an opportunity for discussion and interaction between peers from different schools,  as well as building longer lasting connections.

One of the biggest hits of the training was a discovery learning activity involving straws, where teachers cut a regular soda straw into a point at one end and learned to play it like a kazoo.  It’s hard to keep a straight face when you’re buzzing away on a soda straw!  Teachers were given just two directions:  In your group, learn how to play the straw, and determine what happens if you shorten the length of the straw.  The learning goal was to show that the teacher doesn’t always have to tell students answers, but can act as a facilitator to a group discovery activity where all kinds of different things can be discovered about sound, rhythm and vibration.  

A secondary goal was to convey that experiential learning is fun and engaging.  It was a huge hit.  Teachers discovered that if you shorten the straw, the sound gets higher, but there are still some changes you can make to the sound just by using your mouth.  The lesson culminated in a “talent show” where groups of teachers came up with a song that they played on their kazoos and performed in front of the group.  There was a lot of laughing and learning going on at the same time, and teachers commented that previously they had not thought of learning as being something that’s done just for the fun of it.  

At the end of the  training, many teachers reported that the information about learning styles was quite beneficial for them, as most of them had previously taught using only a lecture format. When math, reading, or science activities were  presented, the teachers were able to identify which learning styles were being used, develop lessons which had activities using all three learning styles embedded in them, and understand how depth of understanding is enhanced when students experience new concepts visually, auditorily, and kinesthetically.

Attendance was outstanding during all six days of the workshop.  It is notable that teachers attended a three-hour workshop after a full day of work, and attended a full-day workshop on a holiday.  All teachers were pleased to earn a certificate at the end of the workshop which stated their successful completion of  22 hours of teacher training.  This type of certificate is vital to Zambian teachers because they can get better-paying jobs in government schools if they can show proof of extra teacher training.  In a country where such training is scarce, the certificates were treated like gold.  The teachers serenaded Kathleen and Phoebe with amazing singing at the graduation ceremony when they received their certificates.  Both teacher trainers and teachers learned a lot from each other through this satisfying experience.