Sharing Fun Teaching Strategies with Teachers at the Green Hill Primary School, Kaliro, Uganda

Henry, our driver in Kaliro came on time each morning to pick us up from the hotel and driving us to the Green Hill  Primary School in Kaliro, Uganda.

The stretch of road was not an easy ride as the roads going to the school were very bumpy. We arrived shortly after 10am and I started setting up in the classroom where the teacher training would take place.  It was a good size classroom with 6 long benches and wooden surfaces attached together.  

At 10am each morning, the school has a break time for students and staff to enjoy a porridge breakfast. As the teachers were arriving to the classroom, I had all the teaching material all lay out. 

While we were waiting for all the teachers to arrive, I introduced a hands on activity to those present.

I was told that the Ugandan education system still follows the old traditional way of teaching – teachers standing up in front of the class delivering their lessons to students who merely listen and copy notes from the blackboard. There were few interactions among peers nor hands on activities.

It’s important to me that learning should be fun so that students will be motivated to learn. Therefore, I introduced the concept of Activity Based Learning to the teachers at this rural school and let them experience what it meant.












 Some of the learning activities I did with the teachers were:

1.   Lego for teaching Math – Working with your peer, construct a tall and stable structure,  as tall as you can with the lego pieces given.

Think about the different shapes.

All structures must pass a blowing test at the end. The teachers had a blast blowing each other's structure down. They experienced the fun of learning themselves!

2. Language - I introduced Dr. Fry’s high frequency words for primary students and the importance of learning these words to facilitate students’ reading at the primary grade level

3.  Using a word Bingo game to learn and practise some of these high frequency words

4.   Reading – I demonstrated group reading to the teachers and introduced the pre and post reading activities to them.

5.   Other games to keep students interested in class and working together with other students.

It was a good session as the teachers learned new way of teaching and also had fun themselves!

I was happy with how the session went but wished that we could have more time!

We finished our activities. Towards the very end, I had a small mishap. My front bridge was loosened and fell out of my mouth.
I quickly ended the session and had a late lunch on site.

R.T.
Kaliro, Uganda
Day 10