Gambian Teacher Training Program Graduation

Today we are celebrating the graduation of our teacher training program. The two-year teacher training program has come to an end and we are able to distribute certificates for the IT Basic section as well. The certificates for the pedagogical skills module were distributed a year ago.

In total, 15 teachers have participated in the training. There has been some turnover in the group due to changes in employment. The journey of teacher training has been rewarding and educational on both sides.

In Finland, we can generally rely on the functionality of telecommunications connections, but in Gambian conditions, the teacher should have a plan B, C, and D.

The language used and the instructions given must be very clear. Things should be presented both orally and in writing. It helps a lot if you can demonstrate the subject being taught or alternatively show it on video. This will stimulate discussion and make it easier to achieve a common understanding.

Effective communication is very important. In Finland, a teacher can to some extent act by "staring at the screen", but in this environment you will not get people to listen unless the communication between people is active and lively.

Overall, we teachers are also very grateful to the Rotarians for this opportunity to work with Gambian colleagues and be involved in the development of the education sector.

First certificates out

All too soon we are in the last night. The discussion is lively. We think about the suitability of different methods to the conditions in The Gambia. The topic of the last night is assessment. How the assessment of learning and the assessment of competencies differ from each other?

Catering group gives us an excellent example. Earlier we were asked to give them some kind of written acknowledgment too. So we train to identify the competences related to their activities.

At the end of the training, we arrange ourselves in a corridor with a smiley face at one end and a sad face at the other end. Some of the participants feel sad because the training is ending. -This group feels like a family, someone commented. Others are near to the smiley face. They feel that they got much more than what was expected.

Teacher students get their first Certificates of Appreciation (Pedagogical tools). Now they will take a well-deserved Christmas break.

Also teacher of teachers feels happy and thankful. It's hard to imagine a more interesting case than being able to develop teaching together with representatives of a completely foreign culture. We continue working with ICT and social media materials for fundraising. We still have the opportunity for one more period of face-to-face teaching, but we are sure that communicating remotely before that will be much more easy.

Finally, how does an excellent Gambian teacher look like today? He/she is confident, focused, flexible, determinent to teach, goal-oriented, teacher by heart, clear with explanations, gives good introductions, ensures understanding AND he or she is a good motivator, uses different methods and is professional in assessment.