Training Effective Afghan Teachers

During 2008 the Afghan Institute of Learning held 96 education workshops and seminars for a total of 1448 participants. About 80% of those attending these education training sessions were women.

At a recent pedagogy seminar, teachers in attendance were asked what they learned from attending the seminar. Here is a sampling of what they had to say:

“We plan to use what we have learned and practiced here in our classrooms. We learned that one lesson could be taught using many different methods. We learned how to plan a lesson, how to specify the duration and steps of a lesson. Also, we learned how to begin and end a lesson.” “We learned that a good quality teacher has responsibilities beyond just teaching; they also must establish a good relationship with their students.” “During our psychology lesson, we learned that we must understand our students and their problems. From this understanding, we have to find a way to solve their problems. “ “While discussing exams, we learned what they are, what their purpose is and the differences between exams and evaluations. We also learned how to make a question sheet, and answer key. “ “We learned how to prepare materials for the lessons we want to teach, and we came to understand that students must be the center of everything we do as teachers.”