workshops ghana

"How can students learn better?"
"How do students love to learn?"
"How does learning become sustainable?"
"How can I give students pleasure in lifelong learning?"

I have been passionate about learning since childhood. Being able to work my way into a new topic is a "gift"! Since my studies, learning and the search for answers for "successful" learning and a "good" school have also been occupying me as a professional. Giving workshops for teacher was a great opportunity to share my knowledge and to get in exchange with teaching and learning processes abroad.

workshops in ghana, westafrika

Im Rahmen eines Freiwilligen-Dienstes wurden mein Mann und ich angefragt für einen mehrwöchigen Workshop für Lehrer in Ghana. Was ist das für ein Land? Ghana - in Westafrika - wird von 3 Ländern begrenzt: die Elfenbeinküste, Togo, Burkina Faso

Der kleine Küsten- und Fischerort Axim, in dem die Workshops stattfanden, liegt in Ghana circa 500 km von der Hauptstadt Accra entfernt. Nach einer Tagesreise mit den lokalen Bussen, "Trotros" genannt erreicht man Takoradi, eine mittelgroße Universitätsstadt. Danach fahren Taxis nach Axim.

Ghana - in West Africa - is limited by 3 countries: west - the Ivory Coast, east - Togo, north - Burkina Faso
The small coastal and fishing village of Axim, where the workshops took place, is located in Ghana, about 500 km from the capital, Accra. After a day trip by local bus, called "Trotros", you will arrive at Takoradi, a medium-sized university town. Afterwards taxis go to Axim.

workshop 2017

Ein 12-tägiger Workshop für 22 Lehrer fand statt im August 2017. Er sollte den Austausch von Lehrern zwischen Europa und Afrika fördern und die Teilnehmer anregen, Wege zu finden, wie Lernen effektiv, befriedigend und motivierend sein kann. Montessori-Pädagogik und deren handlungsorientierter Ansatz stand im Mittelpunkt der Fortbildung. Neben der Nutzung von klassischem Montessorimaterial stellte auch die Herstellung von eigenem Material mit lokalen Ressourcen (hier: Bambus als "Bruchrechenmaterial") eine wichtige Rolle. Am letzten Tag - nach einem gemeinsamen Spaziergang zum Ankobra Beach Resort - gab es eine kleine Feier, um den Workshop zu beenden und Zertifikate in Anwesenheit des Direktors für Bildung für die Western Region von Ghana zu überreichen.

Der Workshop umfasste 3 Hauptthemen:

1. Montessori, Mathematik und Geometrie am Strand
2. Motivation, Kommunikation und Projektarbeit

3. Real-Word-Science, Ökologie und Nachhaltigkeit im Experiment

A 12-day workshop for 22 teachers took place in August 2017. It was designed to promote the exchange of teachers between Europe and Africa and to encourage participants to find ways to make learning effective, rewarding and motivating. Montessori education and its action-oriented approach was the focus of the training. In addition to the use of classical Montessorimaterial also the production of own material with local resources (in this case: bamboo as "Bruchrechenmaterial") played an important role. On the last day - after a walk together to the Ankobra Beach Resort - there was a small celebration to end the workshop and give certificates in the presence of the Director of Education for the Western Region of Ghana. The workshop covered 3 main topics:

1. Montessori, mathematics and geometry on the beach
2. Motivation, communication and project work
3. Real-word science, ecology and sustainability in experiments

workshop 2018

Der Workshop 2018 fand als follow-up auf Wunsch einiger Lehrer statt. Methodentraining für stärker selbstverantwortliches und autonomes Lernen wurde vertieft. Inhaltlich orientierten sich der Workshop zum einen an aktuellen Problemen für Ghana und dessen Gesellschaft. Außerdem spielten Vorschläge für Projektarbeit an Schulen eine Rolle. Eingebunden darin waren Module zu "Business-Mathematics" sowie "Mathematics with fun and motivation". Diese Einheiten fanden überwiegend im Freien statt!

Waste-Management
Clean-Water
Renewable Energies

The workshop 2018 took place as a follow-up at the request of some teachers. Method training for more autonomous learning was deepened. The content of the workshop focused on current problems for Ghana and its society. In addition, proposals for project work in schools played a role. Modules on "Business Mathematics" and "Mathematics with fun and motivation" were included. These units took place mostly outdoors!

Waste Management
Clean Water
Renewable Energies

Workshop Pictures

modules workshops

Modul 1:

Montessoripädagogik + Mathematics I

Organizing learning individually and self-responsible by the pupils

dealing with different material, especially for

mathematics

Individualisation an differenciation

self-responsible controlling of results

reporting and documentation of individual learning

exercise and training – in groups/individually – depending on level of knowledge and subject of interest

Module 2

Projectwork

Projectwork and its relation to the theory of self-determination (Deci and Ryan) helps to stimulate identification with the topics that have to be learned:

social team and support

autonomie

experience of competence and success

Modul 3:

Communication and Relationship

Teaching with authority – alternatives to “caning” pupils

Approach to the pupil on the basis of the psychology of Carl Rogers. Helps to understand needs and capacities of the pupils, leads to natural authority of the teacher and makes “caning” unnecessary. Explains, why some teachers seem to have a natural authority and no need to cane pupils in order to get good results and pupils who are willing to work hard and give their best?

empathy
authenticity
acceptance
good and structured preparation of teaching

Modul 4:

Life Science – different experiments

Teaching natural science and technics on life-experience. Simple instructions - impressive effects – motivated learners – sustainable teaching

energy: build a water-wheel, a lemon-battery, a model of a biogas-plant

health/water/waste: filter, analyse, destillate and purify water with simple methods such as SODIS (Solar Water Disinfection)

Modul 5

Mathematics - II

Training of teachers for challenging mathematical tasks with “every-day” – objects

Geometry on the beach – with rope and stick
Mathematics in the town – with triangle-ruler and meter-rod
Why folding paper is not only a “childrens’ game”?
How can a scale be used to solve equations?
Go shopping and understand direct proportionality in mathematics

Modul 6

Mathematics for Business

Establish a pupils’ company and create products to make money through their sale to improve the teaching options· Use Design-Thinking methods to create product-prototypes. Set up a business-planU (calculation of revenues, expenses, surplus – maybe with a software-program “Excel”) and invent a marketing-campaign

Module 7

From model ecosystem to preserving environment

By observing and studying a self-made ecosystem (terrarium + aquarium), students should learn about the vulnerability of our ecosystem

“build” a model-eco-system out of PET-Bottles

Manipulate the model-eco-system by simulating environmental influence (fertilizing, salt, smoke)

Module 8

Why is it necessary to search for alternatives to using plastics?

Understanding how plastic bags and plastic bottles become threatening microplastics

How much plastic do we use in every-day life?

Analysis of waterU in order to know if filling it from the tab could be an alternative to water satchets

Make hip shopping bags of cloth or yarn as an alternative to plastic bags

Module 9

Inventing material for illustrative and application-oriented teaching

In this practical module, the teachers should - based on the well-known mathematical Montessori material - develop further material ideas for other subjects, eg

Memory for learning languages The educational game "Bingo" to train technical terms

How to create learning-material from local ressources

Why using material makes learning more sustainable, more effective and more fun!

Module 10

Waste-Mangement for school and home

re-duce, re-cyle, re-use! Learn about these three “re” and how you can realize a sustainable lifestyle:

separate and select garbage and build creative separation bins

Grow better plants in your school-garden by fertilizing the soil

Use kitchen-waste to grow new plants such as carrots or pineapple

Learn about “Willy the Wastefish” in stories and pictures

Create arts and useful things from thrown aways (“waste”)

Invent individual bags for shopping out of plastic water satches or other recycle-material

montessori in africa

In der Gruppe mit 22 Lehrern spielen Projektarbeit und handlungsorientierte Vermittlung der Workshop-Inhalte eine große Rolle. An den großen Wänden des Seminarraumes - der "Assambly-Hall" in Axim - entsteht im Laufe der 3 Wochen eine Zusammenschau aller Inhalte der Fortbildung. Das Material muss täglich an einen abschließbaren Ort gebracht und wieder neu aufgebaut werden: Ordnung und Beschriftung von Unterrichtsmaterial als Grundprinzip einer "vorbereiteten Umgebung" werden dabei selbstverständlich praktiziert.

In the group of 22 teachers, project work and action-oriented mediation of workshop content play a major role. On the large walls of the seminar room - the "Assambly Hall" in Axim - an overview of all contents of the training was created over the course of the three weeks. The material has to be brought to a lockable place every day and had to be rebuilt again: the order and labeling of teaching materials as a basic principle of a "prepared environment" had been naturally part of the workshop.

Impulse für einen handlungsorientierten Unterricht

Impulses for action-oriented instruction

Seit Abschluss des Workshops stehen wir in Kontakt und Austausch mit den Lehrern. Wir freuen und über die vielen Fotos, die zeigen, wie viel Freude es Schülern und Lehrern macht, neben des klassischen Frontalunterrichts mit Tafel und Lehrervortrag auch zunehmend mehr Material im Unterricht zum Lernen einzusetzen. Der Phantasie sind beim Herstellung geeigneter Lernmittel keine Grenzen gesetzt: Kronkorken, farbige Plastik-Verschlüsse, leere Gefäße um Volumen zu bestimmen und Filter verschiedendster Art zur Reinigung von Wasser...

Since the end of the workshop, we are in contact and exchange with the teachers. We are happy about the many photos that show how much fun students and teachers are experiencing, besides the traditional classroom teaching with a blackboard and teacher lecture, to use more and more material in the classroom for learning. There are no limits to the imagination when it comes to producing suitable learning aids: bottle caps, colored plastic closures, empty containers to determine volumes, and filters of all kinds to purify water ...

unterrichtsmaterial selber herstellen

Create teaching material yourself

Bei der hohen Luftfeuchtigkeit stellt laminiertes Unterrichtsmaterial eine Chance dar, dass Schüler dauerhaft Anschauungsmittel verwenden können. Drei gespendete Laminiergeräte wurden nach Ende Abschluss des Workshops einigen Schulen überreicht - auch als eine kleine Anerkennung für die Fotos und Rückmeldungen, die wir zur Dokumentation über die aktuelle Unterrichtsarbeit erhalten haben. In den Wochen und Monaten nach dem Workshop dokumentieren die Lehrer, wie sie vielfältige Handlungsmöglichkeiten in ihren Unterricht einbauen.

In high humidity, laminated educational materials aproofs to be chance for students to use visual aids. Three donated laminators were handed over to some schools at the end of the workshop, also as a small acknowledgment for the photos and feedback we received for documentation on the current classroom work. In the weeks and months after the workshop, the teachers document how to incorporate a variety of courses of action in their lessons.

projects of teachers