Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Picnic with the Rhinos
Visiting schools and teachers...
The pictures - me with some teachers during tea - they were attending a class at a local hotel
The team with the principal - we had given him some art materials to share
The children - they loved getting their pictures taken! They crowded around - and wanted to see themselves in the pictures! Children receive a hot meal each day. In most schools parents come in to cook the meal - which is one dish with a maise or pasta with a small amount of meat. It's cooked in large cauldrons - and each child brings his or her own dish to receive the lunch. Often this is the only hot meal of the day - and if the teacher is not there - there are no substitute teachers - the children typically come to school for the meals. The food is placed in a large picnic cooler and scooped out into their dishes.
During our time in Sekhukhune, we visited several schools as well as some professional development training sessions. Uniformly we found the teachers eager to learn - the sessions were about technology - and somewhat scared - as some had never used a computer! They also loved to get their pictures taken!
I'm with some primary school teachers at a training session to help them learn to teach the new curriculum that's coming in January. It was tea break - and the team was chatting with several of the teachers - to begin to get a sense of their use of computers. This was our first week - and we were to create tools that would be used on computers. In addition, there is an initiative in Limpopo province for teachers to incorporate more technology into the classrooms - but remember I've said that some schools don't have running water and a few don't have electricity. Many with electricity have no access to Internet - and often the one computer is locked in the principal's office. Interesting set of mixed messages!
On another day we visited two schools – one in a very poor rural area – yes without running water – and the other in an area a bit better – but with an outstanding principal who did so much for the school – and managed to obtain several computers – and a security system and air conditioning for that room! All schools keep their computers in locked rooms – there’s a lot of theft of computers from schools – for sale to a ready market!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Mondays...
So we've been here for 4 Mondays... and none of them at the client site!
The first week our key client, Mr Matsapolo - was supposed to come to the lodge where we're staying - we waited all day - and he came about 6 pm. So when we went to his office the next day... here's what we saw! And interestingly there's a poster on the wall saying 2011 is the Year of the Forest - we think much of the forest is in his office!
On the second Monday morning we called to tell him we'd be arriving late - our driver Noah has challenges arriving at 7:30 to pick us up. Mr Matsapolo told us that he was busy - and that we should work at the lodge.
Similar story the third Monday - except that he was in Polokwane! He told us to work at the lodge and he would stop by when he finished his meeting. So we worked in a conference room at the lodge all day - and at 6 pm he showed up! We worked with him until 7:30 - and made excellent progress.
So the fourth Monday.....we had an 8:30 meeting with the District Senior Manager to review our main deliverable - a professional development framework for teachers to support their implementation of a new curriculum. Noah came promptly at 7:30 and all 7 of us piled into the car. At the provincial office, where the other team works, they got out and headed into the office. But Noah got out of the car as well - and said there was a problem with the car's registration and he couldn't drive it! We reminded him we had an 8:30 meeting - and he said - 'no problem!' And he disappeared. A couple of calls to him in the next 30 minutes yielded nothing - and he came back at 8:10 with another car. BUT it's 45 minutes to the district office- depending on the number of cows in the road!
We called the District Senior Manager to explain our delay - he commented that there was some type of inspection going on and didn't seem surprised about the delay. He reminded us that he had another meeting at 9 - and suggested we meet on Wednesday. Bummer - we wanted his feedback! Our framework includes observations of the teacher by the principal and we've heard the union is actively encouraging teachers to refuse to allow principals to observe them! And we wanted guidance on our implementation plan.. and how we should position the need for observations of teachers to help identify their skill gaps.
So we called Mr. Matsapolo to check with him on our schedule for the day. He suggested that we work at the lodge - he told us he was busy looking for an audience for our presentations! So a couple of weeks ago he asked each us to prepare 1 hour of training that would be useful to his staff - or any group within the district - and to plan to present these on Tuesday Oct 4. So we all prepared our materials. He told us that his planned audience was busy - so there would be no presentations on Tuesday - but we should be ready to give them on Wednesday - if he found an audience!
We reminded him that we thought we were presenting out final report to the district office team on Wednesday - and we learned that he did not have an audience for that day either. So we have 3 lovely decks without an audience! And two great decks - one from each of our workstreams - also in search of an audience!
The first week our key client, Mr Matsapolo - was supposed to come to the lodge where we're staying - we waited all day - and he came about 6 pm. So when we went to his office the next day... here's what we saw! And interestingly there's a poster on the wall saying 2011 is the Year of the Forest - we think much of the forest is in his office!
On the second Monday morning we called to tell him we'd be arriving late - our driver Noah has challenges arriving at 7:30 to pick us up. Mr Matsapolo told us that he was busy - and that we should work at the lodge.
Similar story the third Monday - except that he was in Polokwane! He told us to work at the lodge and he would stop by when he finished his meeting. So we worked in a conference room at the lodge all day - and at 6 pm he showed up! We worked with him until 7:30 - and made excellent progress.
So the fourth Monday.....we had an 8:30 meeting with the District Senior Manager to review our main deliverable - a professional development framework for teachers to support their implementation of a new curriculum. Noah came promptly at 7:30 and all 7 of us piled into the car. At the provincial office, where the other team works, they got out and headed into the office. But Noah got out of the car as well - and said there was a problem with the car's registration and he couldn't drive it! We reminded him we had an 8:30 meeting - and he said - 'no problem!' And he disappeared. A couple of calls to him in the next 30 minutes yielded nothing - and he came back at 8:10 with another car. BUT it's 45 minutes to the district office- depending on the number of cows in the road!
We called the District Senior Manager to explain our delay - he commented that there was some type of inspection going on and didn't seem surprised about the delay. He reminded us that he had another meeting at 9 - and suggested we meet on Wednesday. Bummer - we wanted his feedback! Our framework includes observations of the teacher by the principal and we've heard the union is actively encouraging teachers to refuse to allow principals to observe them! And we wanted guidance on our implementation plan.. and how we should position the need for observations of teachers to help identify their skill gaps.
So we called Mr. Matsapolo to check with him on our schedule for the day. He suggested that we work at the lodge - he told us he was busy looking for an audience for our presentations! So a couple of weeks ago he asked each us to prepare 1 hour of training that would be useful to his staff - or any group within the district - and to plan to present these on Tuesday Oct 4. So we all prepared our materials. He told us that his planned audience was busy - so there would be no presentations on Tuesday - but we should be ready to give them on Wednesday - if he found an audience!
We reminded him that we thought we were presenting out final report to the district office team on Wednesday - and we learned that he did not have an audience for that day either. So we have 3 lovely decks without an audience! And two great decks - one from each of our workstreams - also in search of an audience!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
A Good Week...
The week started out a bit rocky.... we learned our key client was not in the office and we had worked hard over the weekend to create drafts of our materials! He was in Polokwane - and said he 'might' stop by when he finished the meeting later in the afternoon. So I called one of the people we had met last week to see if he might be available. He was - and we called out driver to arrange a pick up time for the afternoon.
Masana Lodge, where the team stays, is great - it's small - 26 rooms - and we have the run of the place (including the kitchen!). There were no conferences scheduled for Monday so they gave us the conference room - along with an overhead projector so we could work together more easily. We made good progress - and since it was a lovely sunny day, lunch was a picnic by the pool - and something more than crackers and cheese! (The building where we work has no cafeteria and no nearly restaurants - but they do have an outdoor grill where they cook and sell food.. we're not that brave to try any!)
Mid-afternoon our driver came - and we went to the provincial offices in Polokwane - where another of the CSC teams is working - to meet Charles. He was a principal for about 30 years, a teacher before that, and now works for the provincial education department. He's also active in the union. All of these experiences were important to our understanding of the landscape - since one of our deliverables is a framework for professional development for teachers. (I'm also taking pictures of some signs - on our walk to the conference room I noted a 'Disabled Toilet" and the "Department of Security and School Beautification.)
We learned that the union is strong - and if a teacher does not want the principal to observe him/her, can refuse and the union backs the teacher. As a result, some teachers get no evaluation from the principal yet continue to hold their jobs. Did I already tell you that Limpopo province has the lowest achievement scores in South Africa? We also learned that some teachers attend union meetings during the school day - and there are no substitute teachers so the children play in the classroom - many come to school for the free lunch - and others come because their parents are working - and apparently these parents may not be aware that the teacher is not there for the day - until the child says something when they get home in the afternoon.
So we need to consider the union in our recommendations for implementing the professional development framework. The union does provide some professional development - and we understood that some of the time the focus is on union activities - as well as providing guidance to teachers to 'deal' with principals who want them to teach!
So why are we creating the professional development framework? A new curriculum is coming at the start of the school year in January. The teachers have had some training about what's in the new curriculum - called CAPS. The focus of the training is on the content - what to teach but not the HOW - the teaching methods. And we are focusing on the early years - K - 3. Some of these teachers don't have the skills to teach. Many of the teachers colleges focus on the middle and high school students - and teachers who don't 'make it' in the high school are 'sent' to teach the early grades - typically with no age-pecific training!
So with the combination of very low test scores, many teachers without the training needed to teach, and CAPS training that focuses on content - there's a big gap here! So in addition to the framework we need an implementation plan that addresses many different stakeholders - including the union! A part of our deliverable is a needs assessment tool - to identify professional development gaps among the teachers.
We returned to the lodge about 4:30 and continued work, reflecting on what we had learned from Charles and how we were going to incorporate it in our work - and about 6 pm received a call from our client! He was outside the gate (yes everything is behind high walls with barbed electric wire at the top!) So we opened the gate - and worked for over an hour and a half. And the great part - is that we LOVED the drafts we showed him!
Today we went to the district office to meet with Leah - a really bright and talented Curriculum Advisor. We walked through the details of our framework, provided our vision of how it might be rolled out - and she provided great feedback - and indicated we were developing a very useful tool! (This is the third Excel file/tool that we're developing - a major step forward in data collection - and Daniel on the team is so talented with Excel!)
Mid-afternoon we returned - to continue work on the framework - and the final report - which is due next week! Can't believe we are more than halfway through our assignment!
And we learned that our key client is in meetings for the rest of the week - and since he's already approved our drafts, we have the rest of the week to work on our final report - and our presentations for next week!
Masana Lodge, where the team stays, is great - it's small - 26 rooms - and we have the run of the place (including the kitchen!). There were no conferences scheduled for Monday so they gave us the conference room - along with an overhead projector so we could work together more easily. We made good progress - and since it was a lovely sunny day, lunch was a picnic by the pool - and something more than crackers and cheese! (The building where we work has no cafeteria and no nearly restaurants - but they do have an outdoor grill where they cook and sell food.. we're not that brave to try any!)
Mid-afternoon our driver came - and we went to the provincial offices in Polokwane - where another of the CSC teams is working - to meet Charles. He was a principal for about 30 years, a teacher before that, and now works for the provincial education department. He's also active in the union. All of these experiences were important to our understanding of the landscape - since one of our deliverables is a framework for professional development for teachers. (I'm also taking pictures of some signs - on our walk to the conference room I noted a 'Disabled Toilet" and the "Department of Security and School Beautification.)
We learned that the union is strong - and if a teacher does not want the principal to observe him/her, can refuse and the union backs the teacher. As a result, some teachers get no evaluation from the principal yet continue to hold their jobs. Did I already tell you that Limpopo province has the lowest achievement scores in South Africa? We also learned that some teachers attend union meetings during the school day - and there are no substitute teachers so the children play in the classroom - many come to school for the free lunch - and others come because their parents are working - and apparently these parents may not be aware that the teacher is not there for the day - until the child says something when they get home in the afternoon.
So we need to consider the union in our recommendations for implementing the professional development framework. The union does provide some professional development - and we understood that some of the time the focus is on union activities - as well as providing guidance to teachers to 'deal' with principals who want them to teach!
So why are we creating the professional development framework? A new curriculum is coming at the start of the school year in January. The teachers have had some training about what's in the new curriculum - called CAPS. The focus of the training is on the content - what to teach but not the HOW - the teaching methods. And we are focusing on the early years - K - 3. Some of these teachers don't have the skills to teach. Many of the teachers colleges focus on the middle and high school students - and teachers who don't 'make it' in the high school are 'sent' to teach the early grades - typically with no age-pecific training!
So with the combination of very low test scores, many teachers without the training needed to teach, and CAPS training that focuses on content - there's a big gap here! So in addition to the framework we need an implementation plan that addresses many different stakeholders - including the union! A part of our deliverable is a needs assessment tool - to identify professional development gaps among the teachers.
We returned to the lodge about 4:30 and continued work, reflecting on what we had learned from Charles and how we were going to incorporate it in our work - and about 6 pm received a call from our client! He was outside the gate (yes everything is behind high walls with barbed electric wire at the top!) So we opened the gate - and worked for over an hour and a half. And the great part - is that we LOVED the drafts we showed him!
Today we went to the district office to meet with Leah - a really bright and talented Curriculum Advisor. We walked through the details of our framework, provided our vision of how it might be rolled out - and she provided great feedback - and indicated we were developing a very useful tool! (This is the third Excel file/tool that we're developing - a major step forward in data collection - and Daniel on the team is so talented with Excel!)
Mid-afternoon we returned - to continue work on the framework - and the final report - which is due next week! Can't believe we are more than halfway through our assignment!
And we learned that our key client is in meetings for the rest of the week - and since he's already approved our drafts, we have the rest of the week to work on our final report - and our presentations for next week!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Culture Tour - Outdoor Museum
Saturday was Heritage Day so the team went on a culture tour. We began with a wait for the mini bus that would take us! Our guide, Rupert arrived at 7:45 - and about 8:25 - and several calls from Rupert, our ride showed up. (The team has spent quite a bit of time waiting for a taxi that we've called or scheduled!)
The first stop was the Northern Sotho Outdoor Museum. Although this is spring - and we've had some hot days - upper 80's - Saturday was cold - 60's and windy for this visit. We were greeted by a guide - and it appeared that the museum was closed for the holiday and had opened for our tour. We began inside where we learned a bit about this history of the area - it goes back for thousands of years. The floor of the building was cow dung - which was used throughout the village for floors, walls, and steps. Cow dung is also used to made a special jar that's put inside a grain basket to get out the bugs. We learned that cow dung has ammonia - so that's what keeps the grain from being eaten by the bugs.
There's lots of clay in the area - so there were many clay pots. Many very old clay pots have been found in the area - dating thousands of years ago. Clay pots come in many shapes - and each shape is for a special purpose - such as porridge, meat, sauces, etc. There is a special wooden jug for milk.
We then visited a group of building that were the 'newer' style - a group of huts made of cow dung, wooden beams for the room which was covered by straw. It had rained the night before - and yes it smelled! The group of huts is surrounded by a dung wall about 3 feet high. It was white washed and looked very nice. The several small building each had a purpose - cooking, storage, men's house, first wife house. etc. These buildings had doors high enough to enter standing up. The cooking house had a fire bit in the middle of the floor - and smoke went out in the space between the top of the wall and the roof.
Each compound has an alter to ancestors. In this 'newer' compound it was on the edge - in the traditional compound it's in the center. It's a scooped out hole - about 3 feet across - with a plant in the middle - aloe or some other small plant. There's a gourd and some jars nearby. The ancestors are given beer, blood, or snuff - depending on the reason for the 'visit'. Ancestors play a large role in the life of the group.
We then visited the tradition village compound. There we saw a dancer - dressed in strips of animal hide. After the dance, he demonstrated how to build a fire by rubbing sticks - and also weapons they used for fighting as well as hunting. This is a patriarchal society - and the chief and first son have special huts. First wife has a hut with 3 small rooms - a main room - and then one on each side which are for her guards. In the traditional village the door openings are about 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. Several of us crawled inside. There are no windows although a bit of light comes in from the opening between the walls and the roof. It was cold inside and a bit stuffy - but appeared to be good shelter from rain.
The other wives don't have guards - and there's often a hut for he favorite wife. This wife is chosen by the chief and brought into the village. The other wives come by arrangements with the families. When the chief dies, the favorite wife has to leave the village because she has no status. The other wives remain - and the first son then becomes chief.
The role of women is to gather - root vegetables, fruits, worms (for protein), do the cooking, and bear children - especially sons. The men hunt and play games - there was a demonstration of two games - one somewhat like checkers and the other a complicated game play in a series of small holes in the ground with pebbles that are moved around. Yes they ate worms - and yes they had cattle. But cattle are used in many ways - milk, cream and very importantly cow dung for building. On occasion a cow would be slaughtered for a special occasion. They also fermented some of the food - and yes they made beer - and got some protein this way. They also grew maize and ground is - using a hollowed out stone - and catching the ground meal in a piece of cloth. They also used vines to weave baskets.
There are still descendants of these families in the area and there's a rich tradition or oral history.
The first stop was the Northern Sotho Outdoor Museum. Although this is spring - and we've had some hot days - upper 80's - Saturday was cold - 60's and windy for this visit. We were greeted by a guide - and it appeared that the museum was closed for the holiday and had opened for our tour. We began inside where we learned a bit about this history of the area - it goes back for thousands of years. The floor of the building was cow dung - which was used throughout the village for floors, walls, and steps. Cow dung is also used to made a special jar that's put inside a grain basket to get out the bugs. We learned that cow dung has ammonia - so that's what keeps the grain from being eaten by the bugs.
There's lots of clay in the area - so there were many clay pots. Many very old clay pots have been found in the area - dating thousands of years ago. Clay pots come in many shapes - and each shape is for a special purpose - such as porridge, meat, sauces, etc. There is a special wooden jug for milk.
We then visited a group of building that were the 'newer' style - a group of huts made of cow dung, wooden beams for the room which was covered by straw. It had rained the night before - and yes it smelled! The group of huts is surrounded by a dung wall about 3 feet high. It was white washed and looked very nice. The several small building each had a purpose - cooking, storage, men's house, first wife house. etc. These buildings had doors high enough to enter standing up. The cooking house had a fire bit in the middle of the floor - and smoke went out in the space between the top of the wall and the roof.
Each compound has an alter to ancestors. In this 'newer' compound it was on the edge - in the traditional compound it's in the center. It's a scooped out hole - about 3 feet across - with a plant in the middle - aloe or some other small plant. There's a gourd and some jars nearby. The ancestors are given beer, blood, or snuff - depending on the reason for the 'visit'. Ancestors play a large role in the life of the group.
We then visited the tradition village compound. There we saw a dancer - dressed in strips of animal hide. After the dance, he demonstrated how to build a fire by rubbing sticks - and also weapons they used for fighting as well as hunting. This is a patriarchal society - and the chief and first son have special huts. First wife has a hut with 3 small rooms - a main room - and then one on each side which are for her guards. In the traditional village the door openings are about 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. Several of us crawled inside. There are no windows although a bit of light comes in from the opening between the walls and the roof. It was cold inside and a bit stuffy - but appeared to be good shelter from rain.
The other wives don't have guards - and there's often a hut for he favorite wife. This wife is chosen by the chief and brought into the village. The other wives come by arrangements with the families. When the chief dies, the favorite wife has to leave the village because she has no status. The other wives remain - and the first son then becomes chief.
The role of women is to gather - root vegetables, fruits, worms (for protein), do the cooking, and bear children - especially sons. The men hunt and play games - there was a demonstration of two games - one somewhat like checkers and the other a complicated game play in a series of small holes in the ground with pebbles that are moved around. Yes they ate worms - and yes they had cattle. But cattle are used in many ways - milk, cream and very importantly cow dung for building. On occasion a cow would be slaughtered for a special occasion. They also fermented some of the food - and yes they made beer - and got some protein this way. They also grew maize and ground is - using a hollowed out stone - and catching the ground meal in a piece of cloth. They also used vines to weave baskets.
There are still descendants of these families in the area and there's a rich tradition or oral history.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Visiting Nirvana...
... Nirvana Primary School, that is!
On Tuesday we were scheduled to observed Reading Companion training - software that IBM provides as grants to schools. It's designed for 7 - 9 year olds to help them read English. Children in Limpopo learn in this home language through third grade - these are the 9 tribal or clan languages of the 11 official languages. All children appear to learn English and Afrikaans during their upper primary and secondary school years. In grade 4 they start learning English.
Unlike the schools we visited so far, NPS is in Polokwane. We asked about the name and learned that's because it's in what used to be the Indian section of town - the designated place where people from India could live prior to 1994 and the end of apartheid - and many Indian families and businesses are still there including a very large and beautiful mosque. (The lunch that was brought it had some delectable Indian food - samosas and other finger food)
The school is relatively new - it opened in 2009 as a Center of Excellence - and like most buildings in Polokwane is surrounded by a high brick wall with barbed wire on top, and gates at the entrances staffed by guards. It's a series of 1 story buildings with covered walkways - for the rainy season. And it does have running water - the first school we visited that did. Restrooms are separate buildings - a total of 4 built along a central corridor. And out the back and are white plastic sewer pipes!
We went into the admin building to check in with the principal - and were directed to the computer lab. The admin building was spacious with minimal furnishings. The computer lab was a large room with about 30 computers - from HP - locked down. The windows had grates over them, and the door to the classroom was a strong wooden door. The room also appeared to have an alarm system - and a door closed off what was labeled as the server room.
The training was led by a contractor (to IBM) out of Cape Town - Edunova. We learned from Winnie, the trainer, that IBM had contracted with that company to provide training on the Reading Companion software over the next year to several schools within South Africa. Winnie shared she was from 'Zim' - Zimbabwe - and had recently moved to Cape Town. (There are many immigrants from Zimbabwe due to the unrest and violence - many gather on a corner a few blocks from our lodge to look for day work. Many have walked here - crossing through the Kruger National Park on foot. We've heard about border guards in Zimbabwe that stop cars that are loaded with possession suggesting the people may be leaving the country.)
Participants in the training were teachers from 12 of the 25 KidSmart schools - KidSmart is the preschool software IBM provides to schools. Some of the teachers who are to use Reading Companion have never been on a computer - had no idea how to use a mouse - or any of the language we use to describe a computer and how to use it! It appears that Winnie was unaware of the lack of familiarity with computers as she conducted her demonstration.
The presentation equipment in the room included a touch screen on the wall - we'd never seen one! A projector from the ceiling was used - and the screen was a touch screen - so that Winnie could touch the screen to communicate with the computer! The computer was necessary if keyboard input was needed - but anything that was mouse and click could be done by touching the screen! Would be great equipment to have in a training situation!
After the demonstration of the software, Winnie directed the teachers to go to the Internet, use Google to find a particular site, and set up their accounts. Many looks of panic from the teachers! So our team began working with the teachers, showing them how to access the Internet, find Google, etc. There appeared to be a bit of confusion about why Winnie could use a touch screen and they had to use a mouse or the arrows.
It was a slow progress but within about 30 minutes the teachers had successfully registered their schools at the Reading Companion site. The demo and the registration was the total agenda for the first day of training - one of the reasons being that although the training was scheduled to begin at 9, it was closer to 9:30 before it actually started. Then Winnie provided information about her company and some general introductory information - and then the head of the department - our client - was asked to give a 'few words' - which lasted about 30 minutes. He also introduced us - and asked us to say a 'few words'. About 10:30 the actual training started - with what we thought was a very advanced overview of using a computer - with terms such as URL, hard drive, using Skype, software downloads, etc. (and lots of confused looks from the teachers!)
The teachers viewed the overview and demonstration of the software. Winnie then proceeded to demonstrate how to download the Reading Companion software - which each teacher will be required to be on his or her school's computer! They will also have to download Adobe Flash! We wondered how the teachers would be able to do this -given that for some this is the first time they have ever used a computer - and many schools have a very small number of computers - often only one that's for administrator use. One of the requirements of being in the Reading Companion program is that the schools have Internet access. Many don't.
The session ended about 2 pm - it was scheduled for 1pm but the teachers needed a lot of time to complete the registration. The second day of the training was to include going through the software. However, the software requires a sound card and most of the computers in the lab did not have sound cards. Teachers did not know whether the computers at their schools which they are to use for this program had a sound card.
After the session our team reflected on the steep learning curve required of the teachers to participate in this program - and the fact that there was only one teacher from each school so there would be no one at their location to help them with the download! The teachers were excited to be learning how to use a computer and somewhat anxious about all that will be required of them to download the software and teach their students how to use it! We've asked lots of questions of our key client about support for the teachers - both in learning and in the technical support that's required when one uses computers. Our observations will inform our recommendations for continuing support for the teachers so that the software IBM provides can be used successfully.
On Tuesday we were scheduled to observed Reading Companion training - software that IBM provides as grants to schools. It's designed for 7 - 9 year olds to help them read English. Children in Limpopo learn in this home language through third grade - these are the 9 tribal or clan languages of the 11 official languages. All children appear to learn English and Afrikaans during their upper primary and secondary school years. In grade 4 they start learning English.
Unlike the schools we visited so far, NPS is in Polokwane. We asked about the name and learned that's because it's in what used to be the Indian section of town - the designated place where people from India could live prior to 1994 and the end of apartheid - and many Indian families and businesses are still there including a very large and beautiful mosque. (The lunch that was brought it had some delectable Indian food - samosas and other finger food)
The school is relatively new - it opened in 2009 as a Center of Excellence - and like most buildings in Polokwane is surrounded by a high brick wall with barbed wire on top, and gates at the entrances staffed by guards. It's a series of 1 story buildings with covered walkways - for the rainy season. And it does have running water - the first school we visited that did. Restrooms are separate buildings - a total of 4 built along a central corridor. And out the back and are white plastic sewer pipes!
We went into the admin building to check in with the principal - and were directed to the computer lab. The admin building was spacious with minimal furnishings. The computer lab was a large room with about 30 computers - from HP - locked down. The windows had grates over them, and the door to the classroom was a strong wooden door. The room also appeared to have an alarm system - and a door closed off what was labeled as the server room.
The training was led by a contractor (to IBM) out of Cape Town - Edunova. We learned from Winnie, the trainer, that IBM had contracted with that company to provide training on the Reading Companion software over the next year to several schools within South Africa. Winnie shared she was from 'Zim' - Zimbabwe - and had recently moved to Cape Town. (There are many immigrants from Zimbabwe due to the unrest and violence - many gather on a corner a few blocks from our lodge to look for day work. Many have walked here - crossing through the Kruger National Park on foot. We've heard about border guards in Zimbabwe that stop cars that are loaded with possession suggesting the people may be leaving the country.)
Participants in the training were teachers from 12 of the 25 KidSmart schools - KidSmart is the preschool software IBM provides to schools. Some of the teachers who are to use Reading Companion have never been on a computer - had no idea how to use a mouse - or any of the language we use to describe a computer and how to use it! It appears that Winnie was unaware of the lack of familiarity with computers as she conducted her demonstration.
The presentation equipment in the room included a touch screen on the wall - we'd never seen one! A projector from the ceiling was used - and the screen was a touch screen - so that Winnie could touch the screen to communicate with the computer! The computer was necessary if keyboard input was needed - but anything that was mouse and click could be done by touching the screen! Would be great equipment to have in a training situation!
After the demonstration of the software, Winnie directed the teachers to go to the Internet, use Google to find a particular site, and set up their accounts. Many looks of panic from the teachers! So our team began working with the teachers, showing them how to access the Internet, find Google, etc. There appeared to be a bit of confusion about why Winnie could use a touch screen and they had to use a mouse or the arrows.
It was a slow progress but within about 30 minutes the teachers had successfully registered their schools at the Reading Companion site. The demo and the registration was the total agenda for the first day of training - one of the reasons being that although the training was scheduled to begin at 9, it was closer to 9:30 before it actually started. Then Winnie provided information about her company and some general introductory information - and then the head of the department - our client - was asked to give a 'few words' - which lasted about 30 minutes. He also introduced us - and asked us to say a 'few words'. About 10:30 the actual training started - with what we thought was a very advanced overview of using a computer - with terms such as URL, hard drive, using Skype, software downloads, etc. (and lots of confused looks from the teachers!)
The teachers viewed the overview and demonstration of the software. Winnie then proceeded to demonstrate how to download the Reading Companion software - which each teacher will be required to be on his or her school's computer! They will also have to download Adobe Flash! We wondered how the teachers would be able to do this -given that for some this is the first time they have ever used a computer - and many schools have a very small number of computers - often only one that's for administrator use. One of the requirements of being in the Reading Companion program is that the schools have Internet access. Many don't.
The session ended about 2 pm - it was scheduled for 1pm but the teachers needed a lot of time to complete the registration. The second day of the training was to include going through the software. However, the software requires a sound card and most of the computers in the lab did not have sound cards. Teachers did not know whether the computers at their schools which they are to use for this program had a sound card.
After the session our team reflected on the steep learning curve required of the teachers to participate in this program - and the fact that there was only one teacher from each school so there would be no one at their location to help them with the download! The teachers were excited to be learning how to use a computer and somewhat anxious about all that will be required of them to download the software and teach their students how to use it! We've asked lots of questions of our key client about support for the teachers - both in learning and in the technical support that's required when one uses computers. Our observations will inform our recommendations for continuing support for the teachers so that the software IBM provides can be used successfully.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Our Weekend Activities
Why do weekends go so fast!!
Many of us finished early afternoon on Friday - and decided to venture to the 'big mall'. We have a taxi on call - and we've learned a lot about South African time while waiting for our ride! We were very pleasantly surprised to find a very large mall with many international shops as well as services. Several of us needed to exchange our dollars and Euros for Rands - and learned how time consuming that was! I went to a bank - and each back has a set of 2 doors. You enter one, then wait for a green light before entering into the bank. This was a new experience for the team - and we tried to have 4 of us go into the bank together. Security guards came running and told us it's one at a time! So I entered 'properly' - and went to the teller to ask about the exchange rates. She didn't know - she said she had to complete a form to find out. She needed my passport and life history for the form - as well as help from her colleagues. I also asked the fees - she said she didn't know - the computer determines this. About 20 minutes later, she provided information about the rate and fees - and I told her to go ahead. More paperwork for me to sign and more questions. Then she reviewed each one of my US dollars to ensure it was real. So total time was about 25 minutes. When we met as a group to go back, I learned that the others didn't fare quite as well - it took over 90 minutes for hte 3 of them to get their rands - and they didn't have an chance to visit any or the stores or get lunch!
Saturday morning some slept in - I took the opportunity to do a 5 mile run and see more of the neighborhood. There are a mixture of gated communities and gates and high walls around individual homes. (So the barking dogs are fenced in!) I learned this is a result of apartheid - in 1994 when the requirement for Blacks, Coloured, and Indian to live in separate settlements was lifted, the formerly white areas had some integrated - but also the area began filling up with the gates and walls. As I ran through the area I noted people of all colors living there - and all homes very very nicely kept.
Saturday afternoon was a game drive to nearby Polokwane Game Reserve. Small by game reserve standards - but convenient. We did see some zebras, kudos, bush buck and a couple of others. For the most part these were quite far from the road. It was an evening drive - and after dark we had a picnic provided by the tour provider. It was delightful - lanterns had been set up along the road leading to the picnic area, tables with table clothes laid out with lanterns, a big fire to get warm (it was in the 50's), and an open fire tended by Lizzie and Alta who cooked out dinner. We have a great chicken and cashew dish, boiled potatoes with parsley, an eggplant and cheese dish, fresh bread, and several salads. Dessert was a lemon tart made with local lemons. We road in an open jeep and while the drive during the day was pleasant it was really cold riding home - at highways speeds!
Sunday 6 of us attended the local Catholic church - which was a large cathedral. We arrived about 15 minutes prior to the service - and noted that there were 4 sections - the church inside was in the shape of a cross. We sat about 3 rows back in one of the sections. Beautiful interior, soaring arches, stained glass windows, several side alters - but no pipe organ! When the service started the singing was led by the choir accompanied by a drum and tambourine. And we suddenly realized we had sat in the middle of the choir! We wondered why some of the people looked at us strangely - but we were the only white people there so thought that was the reason. But the choir had to squeeze into 4 rows instead of their customary 5. But it was great being in the middle of the singing! Some was in English and some in Sotho - these are 2 of the 11 official languages. Service was 2 hours long, lots of singing, a short sermon, a baptism, etc. Members had their missals - we didn't so needed to watch others. All in all a good experience.
Sunday evening we had a braai - a South Africa barbecue. Bob was the chef and he really set the standard for excellence! In the afternoon he and I walked to the grocery store to pick up the food - and learned that folks in the store had never heard of either tofu or sour cream! We got great veggies - and Bob made skewers of veggies, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, chicken - either barbecue or lemon pepper, salad and cake for dessert! A fantastic feast! Bob also brought out his computer and speakers and we had great music - and some talented dancers in our group!
Many of us finished early afternoon on Friday - and decided to venture to the 'big mall'. We have a taxi on call - and we've learned a lot about South African time while waiting for our ride! We were very pleasantly surprised to find a very large mall with many international shops as well as services. Several of us needed to exchange our dollars and Euros for Rands - and learned how time consuming that was! I went to a bank - and each back has a set of 2 doors. You enter one, then wait for a green light before entering into the bank. This was a new experience for the team - and we tried to have 4 of us go into the bank together. Security guards came running and told us it's one at a time! So I entered 'properly' - and went to the teller to ask about the exchange rates. She didn't know - she said she had to complete a form to find out. She needed my passport and life history for the form - as well as help from her colleagues. I also asked the fees - she said she didn't know - the computer determines this. About 20 minutes later, she provided information about the rate and fees - and I told her to go ahead. More paperwork for me to sign and more questions. Then she reviewed each one of my US dollars to ensure it was real. So total time was about 25 minutes. When we met as a group to go back, I learned that the others didn't fare quite as well - it took over 90 minutes for hte 3 of them to get their rands - and they didn't have an chance to visit any or the stores or get lunch!
Saturday morning some slept in - I took the opportunity to do a 5 mile run and see more of the neighborhood. There are a mixture of gated communities and gates and high walls around individual homes. (So the barking dogs are fenced in!) I learned this is a result of apartheid - in 1994 when the requirement for Blacks, Coloured, and Indian to live in separate settlements was lifted, the formerly white areas had some integrated - but also the area began filling up with the gates and walls. As I ran through the area I noted people of all colors living there - and all homes very very nicely kept.
Saturday afternoon was a game drive to nearby Polokwane Game Reserve. Small by game reserve standards - but convenient. We did see some zebras, kudos, bush buck and a couple of others. For the most part these were quite far from the road. It was an evening drive - and after dark we had a picnic provided by the tour provider. It was delightful - lanterns had been set up along the road leading to the picnic area, tables with table clothes laid out with lanterns, a big fire to get warm (it was in the 50's), and an open fire tended by Lizzie and Alta who cooked out dinner. We have a great chicken and cashew dish, boiled potatoes with parsley, an eggplant and cheese dish, fresh bread, and several salads. Dessert was a lemon tart made with local lemons. We road in an open jeep and while the drive during the day was pleasant it was really cold riding home - at highways speeds!
Sunday 6 of us attended the local Catholic church - which was a large cathedral. We arrived about 15 minutes prior to the service - and noted that there were 4 sections - the church inside was in the shape of a cross. We sat about 3 rows back in one of the sections. Beautiful interior, soaring arches, stained glass windows, several side alters - but no pipe organ! When the service started the singing was led by the choir accompanied by a drum and tambourine. And we suddenly realized we had sat in the middle of the choir! We wondered why some of the people looked at us strangely - but we were the only white people there so thought that was the reason. But the choir had to squeeze into 4 rows instead of their customary 5. But it was great being in the middle of the singing! Some was in English and some in Sotho - these are 2 of the 11 official languages. Service was 2 hours long, lots of singing, a short sermon, a baptism, etc. Members had their missals - we didn't so needed to watch others. All in all a good experience.
Sunday evening we had a braai - a South Africa barbecue. Bob was the chef and he really set the standard for excellence! In the afternoon he and I walked to the grocery store to pick up the food - and learned that folks in the store had never heard of either tofu or sour cream! We got great veggies - and Bob made skewers of veggies, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, chicken - either barbecue or lemon pepper, salad and cake for dessert! A fantastic feast! Bob also brought out his computer and speakers and we had great music - and some talented dancers in our group!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Culture and Politics.... tidbits I've gleaned
On Fridays we meet with the District Senior Manager to review our progress, discuss our observations - and most importantly learn from his experiences in education in Limpopo. We had visited three schools during the week and talked about the distances the children walked to the schools. Some of the schools were quite small - and without running water.
We learned that over the years the government has built some larger schools with good facilities - and that people move to other areas for a variety of reasons resulting in under-utilized facilities in some areas and crowded ones in other areas. When schools are built, they are likely to be on the veld rather than near the mountains - easier to build in the flat areas. But then there are those people who like living near the mountains.
There are many small villages and the concept is to provide local schools. One reason for this is cultural - the chief of the village does not want his people attending the school in the village of another chief. And with semi-permanent homes - often built with found materials - it's sometimes observed that a clan will move to another area - so a school is needed in a different place. And the move may also be precipitated by economic development from the government - such as subsidized housing in a new area. Although the official teacher/student ratio is 1 to 32, in many schools it's much higher - due to the movement of the families.
When the political scene changes so do the schools - and lots of other areas. In this case there's an entirely new curriculum coming in - and the teachers are attending in-service training to learn about it. The apparent reason for this change is the poor performance on national exams - so an entire new approach has been created - including new instructional materials. The changes began a couple of years ago when the coming into power of a new political group. We've learned that large changes to policy are often the result of these political changes. And changes are often the result of promises made by the political parties during the campaigns.
So how does this tie to our work? We are developing a framework for professional development for teachers to enable them to teach the new curriculum. The new curriculum will require some different ways of teaching - more interaction and less rote teaching. So this framework will help the department of education structure their professional development programs for next year to provide support to the teachers.
We learned that over the years the government has built some larger schools with good facilities - and that people move to other areas for a variety of reasons resulting in under-utilized facilities in some areas and crowded ones in other areas. When schools are built, they are likely to be on the veld rather than near the mountains - easier to build in the flat areas. But then there are those people who like living near the mountains.
There are many small villages and the concept is to provide local schools. One reason for this is cultural - the chief of the village does not want his people attending the school in the village of another chief. And with semi-permanent homes - often built with found materials - it's sometimes observed that a clan will move to another area - so a school is needed in a different place. And the move may also be precipitated by economic development from the government - such as subsidized housing in a new area. Although the official teacher/student ratio is 1 to 32, in many schools it's much higher - due to the movement of the families.
When the political scene changes so do the schools - and lots of other areas. In this case there's an entirely new curriculum coming in - and the teachers are attending in-service training to learn about it. The apparent reason for this change is the poor performance on national exams - so an entire new approach has been created - including new instructional materials. The changes began a couple of years ago when the coming into power of a new political group. We've learned that large changes to policy are often the result of these political changes. And changes are often the result of promises made by the political parties during the campaigns.
So how does this tie to our work? We are developing a framework for professional development for teachers to enable them to teach the new curriculum. The new curriculum will require some different ways of teaching - more interaction and less rote teaching. So this framework will help the department of education structure their professional development programs for next year to provide support to the teachers.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Power lines and batteries...
South Africa produces about 40% of the power required on the African continent. Power lines are ubiquitous - along the highway, the interstate, across the high veld, through the bush. There are wooden poles with porcelain insulators along the roads and high steel towers that look like the Eiffel Tower transversing the high veld and bush ... but - they pass over and around many of the villages. Some of the homes along the way to education district offices are shacks - made of found materials - and sometime cement blocks - with no power lines to them. Our taxi driver talked about the shortage of power in the country. Yet we see coal-fired power plants, huge electrical substations... and brightly lit cities. And hear stories about homes in the villages being destroyed by fire from an overturned candle or lantern being used for light. And these homes do not have running water.
And batteries - my life is filled with them! And there's only ONE electrical outlet in my room! My Garmin (for running), two cameras, my Nook, my team mobile, my Blackberry - all are hungry for access to the ONE outlet! And yes my computer, hair dryer, iron, curling iron - each is looking for their share of access to that ONE outlet! And each has certain requirements - the iron, hair dryer, team mobile phone and computer need the adapter. However, all the rest need the adapter PLUS the converter.
Just imagine the tangle of cords on, under, and around my desk - which is the location of the ONE electrical outlet!
And batteries - my life is filled with them! And there's only ONE electrical outlet in my room! My Garmin (for running), two cameras, my Nook, my team mobile, my Blackberry - all are hungry for access to the ONE outlet! And yes my computer, hair dryer, iron, curling iron - each is looking for their share of access to that ONE outlet! And each has certain requirements - the iron, hair dryer, team mobile phone and computer need the adapter. However, all the rest need the adapter PLUS the converter.
Just imagine the tangle of cords on, under, and around my desk - which is the location of the ONE electrical outlet!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
We have a statement of work!
WOW! After several false starts - and significant scope creep - we have the client's agreement on a statement of work! So we'll be developing a framework for professional development for teachers that's focused on enabling them to teach South Africa's new curriculum, a monitoring tool to track the impact of KidSmart - which IBM is donating to 25 schools in a rural school district, and 'some training' - the client would like each of us to deliver a short training - we'll still getting the details but we know it will be a short session! And we also found materials from some earlier projects to leverage - networking is awesome!
So another day beginning with a run - Keiko joined me - we run on a main street where there are lots of people walking to work. It's in a nice neighborhood - and many of the ladies waiting for the bus greet us. We do feel safe!
Today we visited two schools and observed a KidSmart training session. The schools are another 60 k from the district office, and the Curriculum Advisor accompanied us. Her role is to monitor the teachers and how they are implementing the curriculum. There is a very detailed curriculum plan that tells what needs to be taught each week - and identifies the resources for the teachers to use. However, we learned that many teachers are not completing the materials so the children are not ready for the next grade - and they perform poorly on the national tests. Hence the need for monitors. She did observations and provided feedback to the teacher - and shared with us after the visit that there were several areas where the teacher needed additional support. The class was taught in the children's home language - there are 11 official languages - so we could not understand what was being taught.
We drove down a dusty one lane road to reach the school. All schools are surrounded by fences and most have gates that lock at night. The buildings are arranged around a quad - with doors opening into a courtyard. The ground is swept dirt - that way any snakes can be easily seen. There are metal grates on the windows for security and classroom doors are locked when school is not in session. The building has electricity but lights are rarely use. There is no running water. The district brings in water for children to drink and for preparing the noon meal. Toilet facilities are small building with pits located at the end of the property.
We visited a kindergarten class that had 42 children. All wore uniforms and were bobbing with energy. There were tables and chairs - much worn. The one-story building has a tin roof and there is no heat in the winter. There were some bags with the children belongings and one locked cabinet - but no shelves with books, toys or other manipulables that one often finds in a kindergarten classroom. The front of the room had green chalk boards and there were some well used posters around the room.
When we arrived the teacher was about to begin a lesson on identifying colors. The children got a rug - about 9 x 12 - out of the corner and all came and sat on it. They participated enthusiastically in the lesson - and when they finished they sang a song for us. We took lots of pictures - with permission! - and the children crowded around to see the pictures! We had brought some art supplies and the children - and the teacher - were excited about these materials.
As we left the school, we learned that the children live in the nearby village, and none have running water and few have electricity. However, their school uniforms were spotless and well pressed! We also saw goats in the center of the village - and a medical clinic was set up - outside - with a medical practitioner there for a couple of hours.
We drove another 20 or so k to arrive at a second school. This was also had no running water, but did have electricity. We came just as the children were receiving their lunch - which had been prepared by parents who volunteer and then are paid for the food. The children had their own dishes - and the food - a mixture of a type of rice with a small amount of meat - was scooped from a picnic ice chest into their dishes. They ate with their hands - and brought their lunch outside to eat it. They too were curious about our cameras and provided many great pictures!
A while later a cow bell rang - and the children returned to their classrooms. We did not observe the kindergarten teacher - she was busy - so we gave the art supplies to the principal. We spoke with him briefly - he is very energetic and has done so much to improve the school. He told us the children came from 2 nearby villages - and walk about 1 k from one village and about 3 k from a second village. The children walk across the fields/the bush of the high veld - to get to school. These villages were more mixed - still no running water but more often the homes had electricity.
Another journey to a third school - where the 25 kindergarten teachers who will participate in the Kid Smart pilot were learning how to use the use the computer to teach. There are lessons in math, colors, sequencing - etc - a typical kindergarten curriculum. BUT it was designed in the US for the typical midwestern learner! We observed the teachers working through the activities - and on the sequencing activity the groups were challenged by a couple of the tasks - one was sequencing 3 pictures that showed a snowman in a snow storm and then melting in the sun. Teachers had never seen snow, had no idea what a snowman was - or in what order. I shared the story of Frosty the snowman - and they giggled delightedly and put the pictures in order.
We ate lunch with the group - pap (a maize dish), chicken, vegetables, another meet and a salad. Salad is safe when one doesn't know what's there. In the past week the buffets we attended had tripe and braised cow's feet. No I didn't brave those but I did try the liver from an unknown animal. Tasted OK but pretty well done.
The other team joined us so there were 7 of us in the van traveling the 120 K back. Noah drove closer to the speed limit today. It's not been a good week for animals - yesterday we saw a baby baboon who didn't make it across the road and today 2 large goats were too slow.
Tonight Carolyn from Canada is making dinner - butter chicken is the menu. We are pooling funds and cooking - and having great meals!
So another day beginning with a run - Keiko joined me - we run on a main street where there are lots of people walking to work. It's in a nice neighborhood - and many of the ladies waiting for the bus greet us. We do feel safe!
Today we visited two schools and observed a KidSmart training session. The schools are another 60 k from the district office, and the Curriculum Advisor accompanied us. Her role is to monitor the teachers and how they are implementing the curriculum. There is a very detailed curriculum plan that tells what needs to be taught each week - and identifies the resources for the teachers to use. However, we learned that many teachers are not completing the materials so the children are not ready for the next grade - and they perform poorly on the national tests. Hence the need for monitors. She did observations and provided feedback to the teacher - and shared with us after the visit that there were several areas where the teacher needed additional support. The class was taught in the children's home language - there are 11 official languages - so we could not understand what was being taught.
We drove down a dusty one lane road to reach the school. All schools are surrounded by fences and most have gates that lock at night. The buildings are arranged around a quad - with doors opening into a courtyard. The ground is swept dirt - that way any snakes can be easily seen. There are metal grates on the windows for security and classroom doors are locked when school is not in session. The building has electricity but lights are rarely use. There is no running water. The district brings in water for children to drink and for preparing the noon meal. Toilet facilities are small building with pits located at the end of the property.
We visited a kindergarten class that had 42 children. All wore uniforms and were bobbing with energy. There were tables and chairs - much worn. The one-story building has a tin roof and there is no heat in the winter. There were some bags with the children belongings and one locked cabinet - but no shelves with books, toys or other manipulables that one often finds in a kindergarten classroom. The front of the room had green chalk boards and there were some well used posters around the room.
When we arrived the teacher was about to begin a lesson on identifying colors. The children got a rug - about 9 x 12 - out of the corner and all came and sat on it. They participated enthusiastically in the lesson - and when they finished they sang a song for us. We took lots of pictures - with permission! - and the children crowded around to see the pictures! We had brought some art supplies and the children - and the teacher - were excited about these materials.
As we left the school, we learned that the children live in the nearby village, and none have running water and few have electricity. However, their school uniforms were spotless and well pressed! We also saw goats in the center of the village - and a medical clinic was set up - outside - with a medical practitioner there for a couple of hours.
We drove another 20 or so k to arrive at a second school. This was also had no running water, but did have electricity. We came just as the children were receiving their lunch - which had been prepared by parents who volunteer and then are paid for the food. The children had their own dishes - and the food - a mixture of a type of rice with a small amount of meat - was scooped from a picnic ice chest into their dishes. They ate with their hands - and brought their lunch outside to eat it. They too were curious about our cameras and provided many great pictures!
A while later a cow bell rang - and the children returned to their classrooms. We did not observe the kindergarten teacher - she was busy - so we gave the art supplies to the principal. We spoke with him briefly - he is very energetic and has done so much to improve the school. He told us the children came from 2 nearby villages - and walk about 1 k from one village and about 3 k from a second village. The children walk across the fields/the bush of the high veld - to get to school. These villages were more mixed - still no running water but more often the homes had electricity.
Another journey to a third school - where the 25 kindergarten teachers who will participate in the Kid Smart pilot were learning how to use the use the computer to teach. There are lessons in math, colors, sequencing - etc - a typical kindergarten curriculum. BUT it was designed in the US for the typical midwestern learner! We observed the teachers working through the activities - and on the sequencing activity the groups were challenged by a couple of the tasks - one was sequencing 3 pictures that showed a snowman in a snow storm and then melting in the sun. Teachers had never seen snow, had no idea what a snowman was - or in what order. I shared the story of Frosty the snowman - and they giggled delightedly and put the pictures in order.
We ate lunch with the group - pap (a maize dish), chicken, vegetables, another meet and a salad. Salad is safe when one doesn't know what's there. In the past week the buffets we attended had tripe and braised cow's feet. No I didn't brave those but I did try the liver from an unknown animal. Tasted OK but pretty well done.
The other team joined us so there were 7 of us in the van traveling the 120 K back. Noah drove closer to the speed limit today. It's not been a good week for animals - yesterday we saw a baby baboon who didn't make it across the road and today 2 large goats were too slow.
Tonight Carolyn from Canada is making dinner - butter chicken is the menu. We are pooling funds and cooking - and having great meals!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Progress!
I started my morning with a run at 6 am - joined today by Keiko my teammate from Japan. She's training for a relay event when she returns to Japan. We did 2.5 miles - our driver is coming early today so not time for a longer run.
Our driver arrived early today - he was waiting for us at 7:30! We dropped 4 of the team at the provincial offices and the 3 of us continued to the district office about 60 km away. The day was very productive! We used the information we gathered so far and revised our statement of work - and shared our suggested approach with the client. He accepted our recommendation - and our suggested changes to the schedule!
We met with the District Manager - George - he's a delightful and very knowledgeable person! In the mid 80's he was a teacher, then in the early 90's became a principal and served for 17 years. This was during the great transformation - apartheid ended in 1994 and there were many changes to all parts of society including the schools. He shared his experiences - and how he inspired the students in his school to learn and be productive citizens. He took a deep interest in his students and knew each one. He started a program for excellent students and provided special mentoring to them. This program continues and is now coordinated by our key client contact. About 2 years ago Geroge became District Manager and is a champion for excellence in both students and teachers. What a refreshing conversation! The team will be meeting with him each Friday to share our progress - so each Thursday evening the team will be busy putting our report together for him!
We then met with several managers including HR and Finance to understand how professional development for teachers is funded and planned. We learned that teachers can take training and get a promotion - but there's only 1 level promotion possible - after that they are at the top.There are many layers of approval required for planning the professional development and a high level of tracking that training is provided but we did not find any information about evaluating the effectiveness of that training.
In the afternoon we met with the Curriculum Advisors - these people visit the schools and do monitoring and reporting. We got great guidance from them on their needs for the curriculum framework we're to develop - and will receive additional materials on Thursday to help us with this part of our work. The 9 monitors cover many schools. We will receive copies of some of these reports on Thursday to understand what is observed and how they work with the teachers and principals.
The ride back to Polokwane was more relaxed - when Noah went over 140 kph we asked him to slow down - and he did. Later 4 of us walked about a mile to the mall - to get postcards and stamps - and to buy groceries. There's no place to buy lunch in the rural area where we work so we need to bring something to eat - or we get nothing! We also bought groceries and came back and Luca (from Italy) made a great pasta dinner for us in the hotel kitchen.
On Thursday we will be visiting several schools in the rural areas - even more remote than where's we've been. I'll be taking lots of pictures - and I'll figure out how to post these!!
Our driver arrived early today - he was waiting for us at 7:30! We dropped 4 of the team at the provincial offices and the 3 of us continued to the district office about 60 km away. The day was very productive! We used the information we gathered so far and revised our statement of work - and shared our suggested approach with the client. He accepted our recommendation - and our suggested changes to the schedule!
We met with the District Manager - George - he's a delightful and very knowledgeable person! In the mid 80's he was a teacher, then in the early 90's became a principal and served for 17 years. This was during the great transformation - apartheid ended in 1994 and there were many changes to all parts of society including the schools. He shared his experiences - and how he inspired the students in his school to learn and be productive citizens. He took a deep interest in his students and knew each one. He started a program for excellent students and provided special mentoring to them. This program continues and is now coordinated by our key client contact. About 2 years ago Geroge became District Manager and is a champion for excellence in both students and teachers. What a refreshing conversation! The team will be meeting with him each Friday to share our progress - so each Thursday evening the team will be busy putting our report together for him!
We then met with several managers including HR and Finance to understand how professional development for teachers is funded and planned. We learned that teachers can take training and get a promotion - but there's only 1 level promotion possible - after that they are at the top.There are many layers of approval required for planning the professional development and a high level of tracking that training is provided but we did not find any information about evaluating the effectiveness of that training.
In the afternoon we met with the Curriculum Advisors - these people visit the schools and do monitoring and reporting. We got great guidance from them on their needs for the curriculum framework we're to develop - and will receive additional materials on Thursday to help us with this part of our work. The 9 monitors cover many schools. We will receive copies of some of these reports on Thursday to understand what is observed and how they work with the teachers and principals.
The ride back to Polokwane was more relaxed - when Noah went over 140 kph we asked him to slow down - and he did. Later 4 of us walked about a mile to the mall - to get postcards and stamps - and to buy groceries. There's no place to buy lunch in the rural area where we work so we need to bring something to eat - or we get nothing! We also bought groceries and came back and Luca (from Italy) made a great pasta dinner for us in the hotel kitchen.
On Thursday we will be visiting several schools in the rural areas - even more remote than where's we've been. I'll be taking lots of pictures - and I'll figure out how to post these!!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Day 2 - Onsite
This morning our client arrived along with the driver that we'd be working with for the rest of the project. The client took about 10 minutes to introduce the team to Noah, the driver, and do the 'hand off' of our team to Noah for safe transport during the project.
Our first stop was at the provincial education security office for our badges. We needed our passports and computers - these numbers were entered into their data files. The process of getting badges - and waiting for Noah to return - took about 2 hours. The IT team was met by the client IT team and they headed off to their work space. Noah took the Professional Development team to Sekhukhume, the rural district where we're be working. Security is tight - Noah had to sign out of the provincial parking area - and when we arrived in the district, had to sign in there. The district site is about 55 km on rural roads.Noah drove into a service delivery area under the building - and as we talked to the building we saw large stacks of boxes of the national assessment tests - in the local languages - which the students will complete later this month.
We met in our client's office - and noted that a major portion of the national forest was there. Every flat surface - including much of the floor- was covered with stacks of paper at least 2 feet high. Did I mention our key client has 24" dreadlocks? We had a really productive meeting - and were provided with a schedule of activities which included our providing 3 days of training for his staff! We'll need to do some expectation management there - as this was not part of the initial description of work that we received prior to our arrival.
When we finished the meeting, he suggested we join him at the teacher in-service day where teachers were learning about the new curriculum framework. We learned that when the government changes, many other parts of 'life' change. For education this meant a new curriculum. The hotel where the training was help was another 30K - through rural roads. We saw what we thought was a large dog - but as we got closer we saw that it was a baboon - who had a partner on the other side of the road!
When we arrived at the workshop, the client introduced us and asked to 'to say a few words' to the teachers. We were warmly received - and after each of us spoke, the teachers responded with a rhythmic clapping that started quietly and increased in volume. They they sang for us. We were then when the broke for tea and had the opportunity to speak with the teachers. We discovered they were learning new teaching methods to support the new curriculum - and they reported that the materials needed to work with the client - these are kindergarten children - were not available in any of the schools. One teacher noted that without the materials the children would have no idea what was being taught! We also learned of the large class sizes - the smallest class was 37, another was 62, and 2 teachers shared a room with 67!!! young children! They said that classroom management was a challenge - especially with few materials to engage the children.
Our team is part of a larger IBM project in which IBM will be donating KidSmart computers and software to 25 pilot schools. We talked with the teachers about their experiences with computers - and learned that only 1 had used a computer very much - most likely at college since she was one of the youngest teachers - but that it was broken. None of the others had a computer and some indicated they had never used one. One teachers indicated that her school met in a farm house and there was no safe in the house so no way to lock up the computer when no one was there.
Today is a school day - and teachers reported that although they were attending the inservice program, the students had taken the bus to school and were spending the day - because that's where they would get much of their food for the day.
Our return trip - on the freeway - was white knuckle! Noah's day ends at 4:30 and we were late - so he drove at 160 kph!
This evening we enjoyed a dinner at the lodge and we exchanged the gifts we had brought for our teammates. We enjoyed a fan from Japan, silk Christmas ornaments from China, and chocolates from Canada. I shared peanuts from Virginia.
Tomorrow we have an early start - 7:30 (although that may mean any time between 7:30 and 8:30) - and will head to the rural area - to meet more of the staff and continue gathering information - and revising our scope of work!
Our first stop was at the provincial education security office for our badges. We needed our passports and computers - these numbers were entered into their data files. The process of getting badges - and waiting for Noah to return - took about 2 hours. The IT team was met by the client IT team and they headed off to their work space. Noah took the Professional Development team to Sekhukhume, the rural district where we're be working. Security is tight - Noah had to sign out of the provincial parking area - and when we arrived in the district, had to sign in there. The district site is about 55 km on rural roads.Noah drove into a service delivery area under the building - and as we talked to the building we saw large stacks of boxes of the national assessment tests - in the local languages - which the students will complete later this month.
We met in our client's office - and noted that a major portion of the national forest was there. Every flat surface - including much of the floor- was covered with stacks of paper at least 2 feet high. Did I mention our key client has 24" dreadlocks? We had a really productive meeting - and were provided with a schedule of activities which included our providing 3 days of training for his staff! We'll need to do some expectation management there - as this was not part of the initial description of work that we received prior to our arrival.
When we finished the meeting, he suggested we join him at the teacher in-service day where teachers were learning about the new curriculum framework. We learned that when the government changes, many other parts of 'life' change. For education this meant a new curriculum. The hotel where the training was help was another 30K - through rural roads. We saw what we thought was a large dog - but as we got closer we saw that it was a baboon - who had a partner on the other side of the road!
When we arrived at the workshop, the client introduced us and asked to 'to say a few words' to the teachers. We were warmly received - and after each of us spoke, the teachers responded with a rhythmic clapping that started quietly and increased in volume. They they sang for us. We were then when the broke for tea and had the opportunity to speak with the teachers. We discovered they were learning new teaching methods to support the new curriculum - and they reported that the materials needed to work with the client - these are kindergarten children - were not available in any of the schools. One teacher noted that without the materials the children would have no idea what was being taught! We also learned of the large class sizes - the smallest class was 37, another was 62, and 2 teachers shared a room with 67!!! young children! They said that classroom management was a challenge - especially with few materials to engage the children.
Our team is part of a larger IBM project in which IBM will be donating KidSmart computers and software to 25 pilot schools. We talked with the teachers about their experiences with computers - and learned that only 1 had used a computer very much - most likely at college since she was one of the youngest teachers - but that it was broken. None of the others had a computer and some indicated they had never used one. One teachers indicated that her school met in a farm house and there was no safe in the house so no way to lock up the computer when no one was there.
Today is a school day - and teachers reported that although they were attending the inservice program, the students had taken the bus to school and were spending the day - because that's where they would get much of their food for the day.
Our return trip - on the freeway - was white knuckle! Noah's day ends at 4:30 and we were late - so he drove at 160 kph!
This evening we enjoyed a dinner at the lodge and we exchanged the gifts we had brought for our teammates. We enjoyed a fan from Japan, silk Christmas ornaments from China, and chocolates from Canada. I shared peanuts from Virginia.
Tomorrow we have an early start - 7:30 (although that may mean any time between 7:30 and 8:30) - and will head to the rural area - to meet more of the staff and continue gathering information - and revising our scope of work!
Monday, September 12, 2011
First Day on the Project!
Dressed in our suits, the team grabbed an early breakfast and spent an hour going over the materials we'd received prior to our arrival. We expected our client to arrive at the hotel to pick us up about 9:30. The time came and went, and we put some tables together under the trees in the garden and worked on initial planning. Already we were learning patience, flexibility and adaptability!
About 10:30 our client showed up - and we quickly learned that since we were 2 teams - technology and professional development (to support the implementation of technology in classrooms) - Mr. Seroka was the liaison to the technology team. So the PD team continued to plan our initial questions and approach. Throughout the morning we received several messages that our contact was coming....so our team continued to plan the project including beginning to develop data collection tools.
About 4:30 we received a message that our client was in his office - and that he would speak with us a the reception that evening.
We did gather some very important information: We will be working some of the time in the district - which is a rural area about 55 km from Limpopo to the district office. We'll be visiting some schools which are another 50-100km... so some traveling in the rural areas. We'll also be observing some classes - BUT - the younger children are taught in their native language - there are 11 official languages in South Africa - and begin English (or Afrikans) about the 4th grade. Prior to that the 2 'main' languages are optional/informal.
We also learned that unlike many CSC projects that work with small enterprises we will be working on an IBM project to continue building relationships with the Department of Education within Limpopo. IBM is donating KidSmart and Reading Companion - and we are helping with the infrastructure and teacher professional development for the Sekhukwune district - one of 5 districts in Limpopo provide. It's also one of the poorer ones.
The team will be picked up shortly to start our second day - we begin at the provincial office to get our security badges - and then we'll 'go with the flow'...
About 10:30 our client showed up - and we quickly learned that since we were 2 teams - technology and professional development (to support the implementation of technology in classrooms) - Mr. Seroka was the liaison to the technology team. So the PD team continued to plan our initial questions and approach. Throughout the morning we received several messages that our contact was coming....so our team continued to plan the project including beginning to develop data collection tools.
About 4:30 we received a message that our client was in his office - and that he would speak with us a the reception that evening.
We did gather some very important information: We will be working some of the time in the district - which is a rural area about 55 km from Limpopo to the district office. We'll be visiting some schools which are another 50-100km... so some traveling in the rural areas. We'll also be observing some classes - BUT - the younger children are taught in their native language - there are 11 official languages in South Africa - and begin English (or Afrikans) about the 4th grade. Prior to that the 2 'main' languages are optional/informal.
We also learned that unlike many CSC projects that work with small enterprises we will be working on an IBM project to continue building relationships with the Department of Education within Limpopo. IBM is donating KidSmart and Reading Companion - and we are helping with the infrastructure and teacher professional development for the Sekhukwune district - one of 5 districts in Limpopo provide. It's also one of the poorer ones.
The team will be picked up shortly to start our second day - we begin at the provincial office to get our security badges - and then we'll 'go with the flow'...
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Meeting the Team
On Friday evening the team met for our first dinner together - 11 of the 14 had arrived -with the others arriving later in the evening. We'd seen each others' pictures - and had talked on our weekly calls -emailed each other and frequently used our Connections team room to share information - and plan activities for our weekends. It was like meeting old friends - we certainly were not strangers - lots of hugs and cheek busses all around!
We had hired a mini bus - and went to a nearby shopping center - and through it to Mandela Square. We noted that the upscale shopping center could be just about anyplace - many familiar stores including the iStore! We selected a Brazilian steakhouse - that had lots of options. Many were amazed at the generosity of the portions! Conversation flowed easily - it was catching up with friends we'd not 'seen' in a while. All of us are looking forward to our time together.
Saturday morning included a visit to the IBM site and meeting the site executive - and also hearing from Gavin - who recently joined IBM to focus on building relationships and the business. He helped us understand some of the challenges that came from the legislation that focuses on equality for all races. He pointed out that although about 90% of the population in South Africa is black, much of the wealth is held by a small number of white families - and shared his focus on building a business case for ways for IBM to work in South Africa.
We also had a briefing from Nicholas - who is the Communications lead. He reminded us that we are likely to be approached by the media - and we are to refer all inquiries to him - and he will work with us.
We also met Mapule - who has been such a big help over the last 2 months as well prepare for our assignments.
In the afternoon, the team traveled to the Cradle of Humankind - a World Heritage site about a hour from Johannesburg that's near several limestone caves that had yielded artifacts hundreds of thousands of years old. The exhibit is well done and very engaging - and we all participated in the many interactive exhibits - and enjoyed a boat ride 'through the ages' - the ice age, volcanos - and other geological events that have created our earth.
We had hired a mini bus - and went to a nearby shopping center - and through it to Mandela Square. We noted that the upscale shopping center could be just about anyplace - many familiar stores including the iStore! We selected a Brazilian steakhouse - that had lots of options. Many were amazed at the generosity of the portions! Conversation flowed easily - it was catching up with friends we'd not 'seen' in a while. All of us are looking forward to our time together.
Saturday morning included a visit to the IBM site and meeting the site executive - and also hearing from Gavin - who recently joined IBM to focus on building relationships and the business. He helped us understand some of the challenges that came from the legislation that focuses on equality for all races. He pointed out that although about 90% of the population in South Africa is black, much of the wealth is held by a small number of white families - and shared his focus on building a business case for ways for IBM to work in South Africa.
We also had a briefing from Nicholas - who is the Communications lead. He reminded us that we are likely to be approached by the media - and we are to refer all inquiries to him - and he will work with us.
We also met Mapule - who has been such a big help over the last 2 months as well prepare for our assignments.
In the afternoon, the team traveled to the Cradle of Humankind - a World Heritage site about a hour from Johannesburg that's near several limestone caves that had yielded artifacts hundreds of thousands of years old. The exhibit is well done and very engaging - and we all participated in the many interactive exhibits - and enjoyed a boat ride 'through the ages' - the ice age, volcanos - and other geological events that have created our earth.
I've arrived!
I arrived Monday early evening - and have not had an internet connection until today! Flight was long but uneventful - the best kind! Driver was waiting for me and hotel had my reservation - so the logistics worked!
Driving into the city at 6 pm - the landscape was pretty much the same as any large European city - including familiar logos and facilities for Amway, KFC (lots of these), and Toyota. Sun was setting - and a bit hazy. I chatted with the driver on the way in - and learned about some of the challenges of driving in the city. The scariest is the prevalence of smash and grab - when a car is stopped at a light, there is a pretty high chance of losing anything that's visible! He noted that while men tended to fight back, women didn't - so women driving alone were often targeted. A bit challenging for the women who must drive to work!
Tuesday morning I was picked up by a driver to Tydon Africa Safaris - while many of my CSC teammates are staying a few days - up to 2 weeks! - after our assignment, I'll be starting a new project so need to return immediately at the end of the assignment. So for the next 3 days I learned about South Africa, the game farms and preserves - and lots of interesting details about the animals that live there!
Tydon Safaris is a tented facility so I stayed in a tent that was built on a platform. It was just outside the gate
of the Sabi Sands private game preserve - and at night I heard animals - and yes a couple of nights I heard the lions roar! But I didn't see any lions on the game drives - and the driver and tracker tried really hard to find them! All the drivers were extremely knowledgeable about the animals and their behaviors - and knew where in the park particular species of animals usually hung out. We saw lots of elephants, hippos, rhinos, monkeys, baboons, zebras, giraffes, impala (these are one of the lowest on the food chain and there are over 100,000 in the Kruger National Park), buffalo (the most dangerous of the 'big 5" because they have no body language - one never know when one when charge!
We did 3 game drives and one game walk. Yes a walk among the animals - and our lead carried an elephant gun - and yes it it designed to kill any animal that poses a danger to the group - including elephants. We started at 6 am - a chilly sunrise - and shortly came upon a herd of sleeping buffalo. They were behind some bushes - and not happy about being aroused. We retreated quietly and quickly - and headed in another direction. Fortunately they decided to have some breakfast - grazing - rather than following us. On the walk we learned how to track an animal and to determine how recently the animal had passed by.
About South Africa - I chatted with the safari team plus some guests from South Africa to get a sense of the country - I'd read 4 books and wanted a bit more information. I learned that the transportation infrastructure is pretty much non-existent - trains build for the World Soccer Cup are there but many people find them unsafe to ride. There have been reported numerous attacks on passengers by gangs. There's some intercity bus service - but not a lot. There are a lot of mini van buses - that pick up passengers standing along the highway. People are packed in - 3 - 4 to a row of seats - and no AC! Few people in the rural area have cars - they are very expensive as is fuel. They walk and hitchhike.
I also asked some questions about the education system since my small team will be working with the Ministry of Education in Limpopo. I learned that in 1994 when apartheid officially ended, all students were guaranteed a free education. JT, who was a driver and general do-everything - commented that many students expected free to mean receiving a certificate without putting in effort and learning - she commented and the feeling of 'entitlement' she observed. She's in her 20's - and during her high school years the school implemented Outcomes Based Education (OBE) - and the students worked in small groups - but - one person did all the work - and all expected good grades. Her voice showed frustration - she was typically the one who did the work - she wanted to learn! A couple of years later another approach was used - but she commented that the sense of entitlement really bothered here. I learned that the unemployment rate for young people 18-25 in many areas approaches 65%.
Our project will focus on working with preschool teachers to learn to use KidSmart - as well as leadership development. We'll be meeting with our client team on Sunday afternoon!
Driving into the city at 6 pm - the landscape was pretty much the same as any large European city - including familiar logos and facilities for Amway, KFC (lots of these), and Toyota. Sun was setting - and a bit hazy. I chatted with the driver on the way in - and learned about some of the challenges of driving in the city. The scariest is the prevalence of smash and grab - when a car is stopped at a light, there is a pretty high chance of losing anything that's visible! He noted that while men tended to fight back, women didn't - so women driving alone were often targeted. A bit challenging for the women who must drive to work!
Tuesday morning I was picked up by a driver to Tydon Africa Safaris - while many of my CSC teammates are staying a few days - up to 2 weeks! - after our assignment, I'll be starting a new project so need to return immediately at the end of the assignment. So for the next 3 days I learned about South Africa, the game farms and preserves - and lots of interesting details about the animals that live there!
Tydon Safaris is a tented facility so I stayed in a tent that was built on a platform. It was just outside the gate
of the Sabi Sands private game preserve - and at night I heard animals - and yes a couple of nights I heard the lions roar! But I didn't see any lions on the game drives - and the driver and tracker tried really hard to find them! All the drivers were extremely knowledgeable about the animals and their behaviors - and knew where in the park particular species of animals usually hung out. We saw lots of elephants, hippos, rhinos, monkeys, baboons, zebras, giraffes, impala (these are one of the lowest on the food chain and there are over 100,000 in the Kruger National Park), buffalo (the most dangerous of the 'big 5" because they have no body language - one never know when one when charge!
We did 3 game drives and one game walk. Yes a walk among the animals - and our lead carried an elephant gun - and yes it it designed to kill any animal that poses a danger to the group - including elephants. We started at 6 am - a chilly sunrise - and shortly came upon a herd of sleeping buffalo. They were behind some bushes - and not happy about being aroused. We retreated quietly and quickly - and headed in another direction. Fortunately they decided to have some breakfast - grazing - rather than following us. On the walk we learned how to track an animal and to determine how recently the animal had passed by.
About South Africa - I chatted with the safari team plus some guests from South Africa to get a sense of the country - I'd read 4 books and wanted a bit more information. I learned that the transportation infrastructure is pretty much non-existent - trains build for the World Soccer Cup are there but many people find them unsafe to ride. There have been reported numerous attacks on passengers by gangs. There's some intercity bus service - but not a lot. There are a lot of mini van buses - that pick up passengers standing along the highway. People are packed in - 3 - 4 to a row of seats - and no AC! Few people in the rural area have cars - they are very expensive as is fuel. They walk and hitchhike.
I also asked some questions about the education system since my small team will be working with the Ministry of Education in Limpopo. I learned that in 1994 when apartheid officially ended, all students were guaranteed a free education. JT, who was a driver and general do-everything - commented that many students expected free to mean receiving a certificate without putting in effort and learning - she commented and the feeling of 'entitlement' she observed. She's in her 20's - and during her high school years the school implemented Outcomes Based Education (OBE) - and the students worked in small groups - but - one person did all the work - and all expected good grades. Her voice showed frustration - she was typically the one who did the work - she wanted to learn! A couple of years later another approach was used - but she commented that the sense of entitlement really bothered here. I learned that the unemployment rate for young people 18-25 in many areas approaches 65%.
Our project will focus on working with preschool teachers to learn to use KidSmart - as well as leadership development. We'll be meeting with our client team on Sunday afternoon!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
I've been reading...
One of the ways I'm learning about South Africa is through its authors - or people who have lived and worked there. Mark Mathabane's Kaffir Boy is his autobiography - growing up under apartheid in the 60's and 70's. He writes vividly about his experiences - and I felt as though I was watching a movie - the descriptions of place and feeling were do vivid. He describes his home - 2 rooms shoddily built in the Alexandra section of Johannesburg - and how he and his siblings hid when the police came to search the house. His parents experienced arrests when they didn't have the 'right' papers - and they often stood in lines for hours to get these papers only to be told they were missing a document and to come back the following week. I felt his fear when he heard a knock on the door, his frustration in going to school with no books or uniforms because his parents could not afford them - and to learn of the special curriculum for black students that emphasized obedience to those in authority. Traveling into Johannesburg - the white areas - was dangerous and often resulted in arrests. Mark was fortunate - despite his home situation, lack of access to books, and often being punished by the teachers for not having supplies, he was at the top of his class - and through his skill in tennis as well as high achievement in school was able to earn a scholarship to a college in the US.
My takeaway here is a better understanding of the education experienced by many of today's adults in South Africa - and the role models they had as teachers. Our project - to create a professional development program for preschool teachers as they learn to implement KidSmart - a learning program delivered via specially designed computer 'stations' that engage the children in collaborative learning activities - so very different from what many of the teachers have themselves experienced.
My takeaway here is a better understanding of the education experienced by many of today's adults in South Africa - and the role models they had as teachers. Our project - to create a professional development program for preschool teachers as they learn to implement KidSmart - a learning program delivered via specially designed computer 'stations' that engage the children in collaborative learning activities - so very different from what many of the teachers have themselves experienced.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Getting ready to head to Limpopo!
Countdown! I leave on Sunday to head out on my Corporate Service Corps assignment! I'll be working with an awesome team - Anna and Daniel - and I'm so looking forward to meeting them!
We'll be working with a client team from the Ministry of Education to support teacher professional development as they begin to use KidSmart in the preschools. KidSmart is a really neat and fun program delivered on a unit that looks like a TV with space for 2 - 3 children to work together. There are reading and numbers games - and it's really engaging. I've just downloaded the materials and will be reviewing them before I go!
And then there's the packing - I've been gathering 'stuff' for a month - art supplies to use with the children when we visit an orphanage, IBM logo gifts for the clients, and a 'sample of Virginia' for my CSC teammates!
And yes then there were all those shots. Not sure why the nurse insisted in putting some in each arm - so for a few days it was challenging to lift my arms! I started the malaria pills last week - and despite all the dire 'precautions' I had no weird side effects. (Smile)
We'll be working with a client team from the Ministry of Education to support teacher professional development as they begin to use KidSmart in the preschools. KidSmart is a really neat and fun program delivered on a unit that looks like a TV with space for 2 - 3 children to work together. There are reading and numbers games - and it's really engaging. I've just downloaded the materials and will be reviewing them before I go!
And then there's the packing - I've been gathering 'stuff' for a month - art supplies to use with the children when we visit an orphanage, IBM logo gifts for the clients, and a 'sample of Virginia' for my CSC teammates!
And yes then there were all those shots. Not sure why the nurse insisted in putting some in each arm - so for a few days it was challenging to lift my arms! I started the malaria pills last week - and despite all the dire 'precautions' I had no weird side effects. (Smile)
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