Imagine you're in a class of 40. It's hot and you're bored. The teacher always asks the clever students at the front. You sit at the back and don't participate. After a bit, you stop going to school.
This is the problem we're facing. Half of lower secondary school students leave education before completing grade 9. The reasons are complex, but one simple problem we can address is what happens in the classroom and who participates. Teachers often use their 'best' students to answer questions, lead groups and generally 'participate'. We're doing a lot of work in bringing practical work into lessons (experiments into science, for example) but one of the simplest techniques is for every student to have a small board to write on.
The teacher asks a question.
The students think (or even discuss with their partner as well).
Each student writes down an answer.
All the boards are held up.
Everyone HAS to participate. No resting while someone else answers.
And ... the teacher gets instant feedback as to who understands the lesson and where to go next.
This means the lesson is: more participatory, more equal, more focussed.
The students are happier (they have something to do).
The teacher is happier. Participating students are easier to teach. More feedback is received. And - crucially - as well as being a better method, it's also EASIER to teach like this, so there's no reluctance from the teachers to use the boards, they prefer it.
This is the problem we're facing. Half of lower secondary school students leave education before completing grade 9. The reasons are complex, but one simple problem we can address is what happens in the classroom and who participates. Teachers often use their 'best' students to answer questions, lead groups and generally 'participate'. We're doing a lot of work in bringing practical work into lessons (experiments into science, for example) but one of the simplest techniques is for every student to have a small board to write on.
The teacher asks a question.
The students think (or even discuss with their partner as well).
Each student writes down an answer.
All the boards are held up.
Everyone HAS to participate. No resting while someone else answers.
And ... the teacher gets instant feedback as to who understands the lesson and where to go next.
This means the lesson is: more participatory, more equal, more focussed.
The students are happier (they have something to do).
The teacher is happier. Participating students are easier to teach. More feedback is received. And - crucially - as well as being a better method, it's also EASIER to teach like this, so there's no reluctance from the teachers to use the boards, they prefer it.
The picture above is a grade 9 class is Siem Reap (famous for its Temples). You can see how the teacher can ask all the children a question and check their understanding immediately. This is SO much better than the alternatives.
The picture below is a grade 7 physics lesson. These boards work.