Education Kenya Project #13015

Empower, Engage, Educate in Rural Kenya!

by Kenya Connect (KC)

Empower, Engage, Educate in Rural Kenya!

Project Report | Oct 25, 2021
Field Trips Expand Student's Horizons!

By Sharon Runge and James Musyoka | Executive Directors

Learning About Native Trees

One of the “strengths” of the LitClub curriculum is curiosity. In an effort to spark our LitClub students’ curiosity, we made arrangements over the October holiday break to take the students from the eight LitClubs of our Empowered Schools, Ngangani, Kisola, Maanzoni, and Sofia, for a field trip.

The students visited nearby Muthoki Lodge where they took a forest tour and learned about beekeeping, different types of trees and their herbal use, nursery making, and the hotel industry. The students were exposed to new ideas and felt motivated to become tree champions through planting trees and maintaining them. In addition, they felt excited to share with their parents about beekeeping.

During the Field Trip walk, you could see how curious and observant the kids were through their questions about the trees. LitClub Mentor Brian said, "I also noticed that most of them were knowledgeable about trees in their native language. During the walk, I was surprised when a student called me, 'Excuse me mentor Brian, look at that owl.' It took me some time before I could see where it was hiding on the tree and wondered how the child had seen the owl. Later on, after the forest tour, the students were courageous enough to volunteer and appreciate the tour guides for taking them through the forest and teaching them about the different uses of the farm."

After the visit to Muthoki Lodge, the students returned to the Kenya Connect Learning Resource Center. At the LRC, the students had a fun time participating in a Brain Break before proceeding to the enrichment activities. Students rotated through stations including using the KioKit tablets to read interactive books, creating bookmarks, and making jigsaw puzzles. The students enjoyed all the activities. After the activities, students had a moment for entertainment and others requested to do their own presentations that they had prepared.

These types of enrichment activities expand our students' worlds and opens them to new ideas and opportunities. Donors like you provide the funds so we can offer these types of school break activities.

Would you like to go on a FIELD TRIP TOO? On Wednesday, November 10th, we are hosting a VIRTUAL Field Trip to Kenya Connect that will include Chapati Making, a glimpse into our LUV classes, and a LitMom presentation. James Musyoka, Co-founder and Executive Director, will be LIVE from Kenya. You can register HERE for this FREE event.

As always, we are deeply grateful for your donation to Kenya Connect.

Beekeeping!

Let's Dance!

Creating Book Marks!

Puzzle Fun!

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Sep 16, 2021
Thanks for Helping Us Bridge the Digital Divide!

By Sharon Runge and James Musyoka | Executive Directors

This Chromebook is cool!

Imagine you're a fourth grade teacher who is supposed to teach a unit on digital literacy, but you have no computers. Do you have students just look at pictures in their textbook and expect them to understand?

Thanks to a Ford Motor Company Gratitude Grant, support from Level Up Village, and donations from DONORS LIKE YOU, we have purchased chromebooks that we are bringing to our partner schools. Students are delighted to open up the chromebook and to see the screen come to life. Using the keyboard, they begin to learn how a computer works and the many functions it provides. Kids like playing games and our staff have educational activities for them to do on the computer while they begin to navigate the device. Once they have begun to master the basic acitivities, many of the students participate in Level Up Village classes like Global Water Scientist. Through this class, they learn about water cycles, how filtration systems work, and the importance of clean water. They create video letters to share with a partner in the U.S. and they watch their friends' videos. It's a fun way to learn and it connects them with the wider world.

"I like seeing my partner's video. I noticed that he doesn't wear uniforms in school like me, but he has a brother like I do." says Kyalo

Recently our Board of Trustees and Staff engaged in Digital Dreaming Sessions. We discussed ways to bridge the digital divide through providing our rural learners with access to computers, basic computing classes and upper level STEM classes. Once our new building is completed, we will be creating an EdTech Lab in our Learning Resouce Center and a Maker Space in our new LRC Annex. We will be holding robotics, coding, animation and graphic design classes while helping students and community members learn how computers can help with businesses, agriculture, and the arts.

Monicah, our Technology Program Assistant, loves seeing how excited the students become when using the computer. "It brings me joy to see the students light up when they learn how to make a function happen."

Along with bringing chromebooks to students at their school, we still have students visiting our solar-powered Learning Resource Center for a variety of computer classes including computer basics and STEM classes with Level Up Village.

Bridging the Digital Divide would not be possible without you. Your support means that we can provide computers to students in rural community. Teachers are pleased too since it gives them another tool for teaching. Thank you for enriching and empowering our students and teachers through your donation!

New Chromebooks!

Computer Learning at the LRC

Global Water Class with LUV

Teachers are Digital Learners Too!

Monicah guides students at the LRC

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Aug 10, 2021
Providing Teachers with New Tools and Ideas!

By Sharon and James | Executive Directors

Teachers are Learners Too!

Do you remember your favorite teacher? Did she make learning fun and help you understand difficult concepts? Did he create a classroom environment with engaged students working to learn together?

At the heart of all education is a dedicated walimu, teacher. In Kenya, most classrooms are overcrowded, teachers lack even the most basic school supplies and are not provided with guidance and support to make their classrooms student-centered. The push to "cover the syllabus" whether students understand the content or not has been the guiding force. However, that is changing, especially in Wamunyu.

Since 2012, we have been working to provide teacher professional development workshops, and in 2018, we created "Professional Learning Communities" (PLCs) to help teachers learn from one another. As a result, when the new Kenyan competency based curriculum was introduced in 2019, many of our teachers were already using lessons that incorporated creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and self-learning. Basic techniques like "turn and talk" were introduced, along with brain breaks and movement as ways to create a dynamic lesson.

This year, we are partnering with two groups to help us expand our work with teachers. We are piloting the "Teach 2030" program created by the UK based Commonwealth Education Trust with teachers in PLC groups at our four empowered schools. Accessing the program on a smartphone, these teachers are learning strategies to create a student-centered classroom and how to deploy techniques to help students learn together. The classes are "bite-sized" so that teachers can learn in a manageable way. Working with a partner encourages them to discuss concepts and how to integrate them in the classroom. After they have completed a unit, they receive a certificate.

Secondary School teachers are equally challenged, especially in teaching science, mathematics, and technology. Imagine teaching a chemistry class without beakers or chemicals and only relying on a textbook. In a recent analysis of the KCSE scores, we saw that students are struggling in the sciences and maths. As a result, we have engaged in a partnership with another NGO working in rural Kenya, SeaVuria. SeaVuria, dedicated to strengthening STEM education in the Taita-Taveta region of Kenya, reached out to us to create a program designed around the concept of "sense making" in the classroom for our teachers in Wamunyu and the Kyaithani cluster as well as teachers in Taita-Taveta. Executive Director Mary Margaret Welch, who is also the program manager for K-12 STEM education for Seattle public schools, has designed a program that focuses on creating an infrastructure of sustained supports for teachers to learn, enact, and reflect. The cycle is an iterative one in which student voice and input is considered. Teachers will take their new learnings into the classroom where they will practice the strategies and seek input from their learners.

We are thrilled that 60 teachers joined us for the first full session via zoom to begin to understand these strategies. Provided with readings and a "to do" homework charge, we are already seeing teachers posting what they have tried in "WhatsApp." Mwalimu Geoff commented, "It has enabled students in my class to quickly and easily understand some concepts as explained to them in a language that they understand best by their fellow students. It has also made our lessons to be more engaging and interesting."

Thank you for supporting our teachers in Kenya through your donation. We can offer these programs thanks to you!

Learning Together with CET!

Students Talking Together to Learn

Teachers Access Content via Their Smartphone!

Links:

Commonwealth Education Trust newsletter

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