Tell
me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I learn.
—Benjamin
Franklin
The
best learning method?
What is the best
way to learn? What is the best way to teach? Humans have been arguing over
these questions for centuries now, and yet we are not certain. Scientists have
carried out multiple experiments and researchers have done their surveys, but
then why did I feel uncertain when I Googled up “The best learning methods”?
I had to volunteer
as a teacher at a Children’s home where the children have never had real
teachers who have gone through teacher training, where they lacked basic
resources, where there was definitely no internet access, where the learning
environment was not as conducive as back home, and yet I was determined to give
the children a learning experience like never before. I had carry out effective
teaching with the limited resources we had and with children who had only
learnt the rot cramming way. How was I to “involve” the children so they
learned? What was the “best learning method”?
A group of
volunteers including me, were assigned to volunteer at The Children’s Garden
Home. It is a home for children from the slums of Nairobi, Kenya who either
have no parents or guardians, or their parents cannot provide for them. It is
run by a person called Daddy Moses and this home exists solely out of his
passion and commitment towards the notion that Education will get these
children the lives they deserve. Us, the group of volunteers came from 23
different countries, had never met each other before, we were driven solely by
our commitment to service and in one and a half week, we had to leave a lasting
impact.
When we were
first put into our group, we didn't know what to expect. We were taken to the
home and what awaited our arrival was extraordinary. Dances, music,
introductions and so much love, that it was overwhelming. One of our
facilitators told us to write down how we felt when we left on the first day,
and this is what I wrote: “My heart feels empty. There is so much they don’t
have yet they are able to give so much love. I hope we are able to make an
impact which can give back all this love.”
Let the learning begin!
A girl from
France and I were given the task of teaching a class of bubbly fourth graders.
I had taught small groups of children before, but never in a formal school and
such a large group. Although the school was not in an ideal learning
environment, it seemed that the teachers were teaching and the children were
writing and listening, but this did not necessarily mean that learning was
taking place.
On the second day, we assisted their teacher, but most of the children were just lost. We knew at that moment, that if we were to teach, we had to assess the situation ourselves and work accordingly. It was like we were carrying out our own research so we could bring in positive change. These were some of the conclusions I drew at the end of our second day: the children love learning but proper learning methods are required, ones that “involve”, so that the children understand and retain what they have learnt, basic skills and concepts need reinforcing, and most importantly, we need to make learning fun and interactive because if the children do not remain aroused by what is happening in class, they will lose focus and will not understand the concepts being taught.
On the second day, we assisted their teacher, but most of the children were just lost. We knew at that moment, that if we were to teach, we had to assess the situation ourselves and work accordingly. It was like we were carrying out our own research so we could bring in positive change. These were some of the conclusions I drew at the end of our second day: the children love learning but proper learning methods are required, ones that “involve”, so that the children understand and retain what they have learnt, basic skills and concepts need reinforcing, and most importantly, we need to make learning fun and interactive because if the children do not remain aroused by what is happening in class, they will lose focus and will not understand the concepts being taught.
My partner and I
thought to ourselves, how do we to teach and at the same time involve the
children so that they learn and have fun at the same time? Then it struck us: it
was time to go back to kindergarten, when we learnt through singing and
dancing! Music and art was so much a part of the lives of the children at this
home: they had a traditional dance group that competed at a national level,
they learnt how to play traditional drums from a very young age and they had a
crafts programme that brought in extra income to the home. So we thought these
were the best methods to implement in the classroom.
So we
incorporated games, visuals and songs into the classroom. In maths, we were learning
how to tell the time, so we played Mr. Fox with them and it was so well
received that everyone in the school was playing it by the third day. We also
brushed up their multiplication tables by using songs we found off the internet
back at our hotel. They had never practiced reading out loud, so we thought of
boosting their public speaking skills by having story time every day in which
they could either read from the textbook or tell the class another story. The
stories were scary at times, but we enjoyed this activity as much as the
children did. Games were an all-time favourite because competition excited them
and made them even more enthusiastic to understand everything we taught so they
could win the games. We also made sure every child received attention and
understood what had been taught, which was not previously being done. But, what they
appreciated the most was all the praise we were giving them from a star on
their notebooks to a “well done” during class activities. A child once told
their matron that I drew a star in her notebook and the matron came to me the
next day and wouldn't stop praising our methods and telling me how happy we
make the children.
Believe me, we
saw the change in how much the children retained from the day before over the week.
They were used to just writing notes and cramming, which was boring. We
incorporated what they loved into what they once found boring and where the
children stood at the end of it all was nothing short of a miracle. As Joyce
Meyer once said, “Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk
and challenges”.
On the last day,
we also told the teachers to pitch in and lead the games and we also held a
little teaching workshop for the teachers (who are graduates from the home and
have had no formal teacher training) to encourage better teaching practices
which will in turn bring out the best in these children. Although we were not
professional teachers, we just tried to practice better teaching methods we had
seen growing up and which were relevant in this context.
Holistic learning
However,
learning does not only take place in the classroom, it takes place in every
aspect of a child’s life and in my opinion, children’s garden home has done a
great job by also focusing on the holistic development of the children. Their
lives before they came to the home were not in environments which fostered
their character growth and holistic development. At children’s garden home, the
children not only go through secular education, but also environmental education
and home science education.
Environmental
education is a huge part of life at children’s garden home. They had a
greenhouse which was falling to pieces, but we donated a new one and helped
rebuild it, a community cooker was in place which converted waste generated at
the home into fuel for cooking, the home had its own “shamba” or farm in which
the children learn how to grow vegetables and then sell the vegetables to the
market, and the home also has its own poultry farm and flour mill which are run
by the children and bring in extra income to the home.
Home science
education comprises of learning how to cook, sew, make traditional crafts and
take care of the younger ones. The children make their own costumes for their
national dancing competitions too!
Additionally,
religion is a very important part of their lives. They pray every day in their
common hall and they prayed for us too. Although they are Christians and we are
Ismaili Muslims, what really mattered was the true essence and intention of
prayer which was mutual. Religion shapes character, encouraging moral values
and ethics which are very essential in today’s world. Some children at the home
might have done or witnessed unethical behaviour in their lives before they
arrived at the home, and religion teaches them to be good human beings using
Daddy Moses, a firm Christian as an example.
At the end of
our time at the home, I realised that there is no “best learning method”.
Learning is an art, it is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience,
study or being taught. Art has multiple forms, and similarly there are multiple
ways to teach and study, and every experience is unique. However I can draw one
conclusion from my experience: Involvement, hands on activities and incorporating
enjoyment in the classroom will bring about better learning, as long as they
are adjusted to the context and the environment.
“Children are like acorns, born with a might
oak tree within each. With love and spiritual care, they will grow up to be
change makers of our society and country”
--
Daddy Moses, the founder of Children’s Garden Home
Alternatively,
donate to The Global Garden Project, which was set up by three of the
volunteers in our group:
A big ASANTE
SANA to Simran Jadavji for allowing me to use her capstone project material for
inspiration.
This article is
based on my time at Global Encounters, an international Ismaili Youth Camp.
2015 applications for both facilitators and participants are live now!
Visit www.TheIsmaili.org/go/globalencounters to apply.
You can also attend the information webinar to learn more about the programme on 28th December 2014 at 4:30PM Tanzania time to hear me speak about my experience. Register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/920906222558206465.
Deadline for application is 25th January 2015
2015 applications for both facilitators and participants are live now!
Visit www.TheIsmaili.org/go/globalencounters to apply.
You can also attend the information webinar to learn more about the programme on 28th December 2014 at 4:30PM Tanzania time to hear me speak about my experience. Register for the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/920906222558206465.
Deadline for application is 25th January 2015
