Teacher Guide: Basic Literacy, Numeracy and Themes for Everyday Living

159 Pages·2002·1.71 MB·English

T E A C H E R G U I D E
Teacher Emergency Package
(TEP)
TEACHER GUIDE
Basic literacy, numeracy and
themes for everyday living
Generic English Version
Norwegian Refugee Council
By agreement with UNESCO-PEER
January 2000
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BACKGROUND OF THE TEP
– TEACHER EMERGENCY PACKAGE
The concept of the TEP was developed by UNESCO-PEER (Programme for Education in
Emergencies and Reconstruction), Nairobi. Norwegian Refugee Council was granted the right to
develop and extend the Teacher Guide to suit the needs in Angola. A one year programme was
developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, UNESCO-PEER and UNICEF. Its ultimate
goal is to offer an intensive and semi-formal pedagogic programme to help children and adults
who, as victims of complex emergencies, such as armed conflicts, have had no access to primary
school or were forced to interrupt their studies. It is thus seen as a bridge from no education op-
portunity to a situation when the education system is rebuilt or extended to reach all children in
the country.
The English Generic Version is basically a translation of the TEP for Angola and is meant to be a
starting point for adaptation to the needs in a specific country where English is the official lan-
guage. Some improvements have been made, based on experiences, and, most importantly, the
approach to learning the English language has been adapted. This was done by a team consist-
ing of Laureen Andersen and Kathy Tollefsen of the Oslo International School and Grete Ravn
Omdal of The NRC, Norway. The latter spent 18 months in Angola implementing the TEP pro-
gramme and developing the TEP Trainer’s/Teacher’s Manual.
This version of the The Teacher Guide is a preliminary one and has been submitted to UNESCO-
PEER for comments and approval.
Oslo, January 2000.
Copyright:
UNESCO-PEER & Norwegian Refugee Council
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CONTENTS
Introduction
Part 1 Methodology
Contents of kit
Part 2 Programme structure
Part 3 English language, 22 model lessons
Part 4 Mathematics, 22 model lessons
Part 5 Physical education
Moral and Civic education, Children’s Rights
Health and hygiene
Part 6 Tests and evaluation
Appendix 1 English language
Appendix 2 Songs and rhymes
Appendix 3 Stories
Appendix 4 Games
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INTRODUCTION
The TEP programme for Angola followed the main principles and approaches of versions for
Somalia and Rwanda, and this is being carried forward in the generic English version. The main
components are the Teacher Guide, the Teacher Training courses, the NRC Trainer’s Support
Manual and the TEP kit of basic materials.
The Teacher Guide is the most important element in the TEP system. It is handed out at the training
of teachers/facilitators, and with it the TEP kit when the candidate has passed the tests and is ap-
proved for the programme. The TEP kit is not issued without training and teacher commitment.
This version of the TEP offers a one year programme with the assistance of locally recruited teach-
ers, who, in some cases, are non-qualified before training. The extent of the training courses
would depend on the qualifications of the teachers, but for non-qualified ones, a five week inten-
sive training course seems necessary. The training and the programme can be shortened to suit
the needs of a given community and situation.
The intention is to provide children with basic learning skills so that they can enter or be reinte-
grated into normal school activity. The themes are aiming at responding to basic needs for infor-
mation for survival and improvement of the quality of life. With some adaptations of the themes
and the approach, the programme can be used for other groups as well – such as young people
and illiterate adults.
The Teacher Guide introduces the participatory methodology and ways of working in the class-
room. It also gives general advice to the teacher on how to behave with the children to make
them interested in learning, and it guides the day-to-day programme of learning to make certain
the indicated learning matter is covered.
In a specific situation the thematic parts may need to be strengthened or new ones introduces,
such as HIV/AIDS knowledge, sensitisation on people’s suffering and experiences, and the
Human Rights Topics.
A simplified Trainer’s Support Manual contains additional advice on planning and on the role of
the teacher as well as tools and recommendations for many of the lessons.
The Teacher Guide consists of five parts:
Part 1 Teaching methodology and instructions to use the kit (contains various teaching
materials).
Part 2 Programme structure (shows the necessary steps to arrive at a functional ability to
read, write and do numerical calculations).
Part 3 22 Language Model Lessons
Part 4 22 Mathematics Model Lessons
Part 5 Three units on basic understanding of Physical, Moral and Civic/ Human Rights
Education and Health/Hygiene.
Part 6 Issues regarding the testing and evaluation of learning.
Annexes
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PART 1
GENERAL TEACHING METHODOLOGY
Daily Procedure
It is important – especially in the beginning – to establish a good routine. The
teacher should be well-prepared, knowing exactly what materials he will need.
The teacher formally greet the pupils at the beginning of the lesson by saying “Good morning /
afternoon, class”. To which the pupils reply “Good morning / afternoon, Mr/Ms ____.” The
teacher will then sing the Good Morning Song. He must make sure all the pupils are ready and
listening before he greets them so that the pupils have a clear signal that the lesson is about to
begin.
The introduction should be interesting and lively. For this reason, the lesson often begin with a song.
The main part of the lesson should be paced to the pupils’ needs and abilities. It is better to teach
something properly than to rush through a day’s work just because it’s on the agenda. On the
other hand, lessons that go very quickly can be extended with games that the pupils have en-
joyed and by song-singing. Where part of the lesson is spent outside, pupils will be expected to
line up quietly and quickly so as not to waste lesson time.
The lesson should end with a brief statement on what needs working on, if relevant, and always
with praise for the pupils’ good effort. The teacher sings the Goodbye Song and then formally
says “Good morning / afternoon, class” to which the pupils reply “Good morning / afternoon,
Mr/Ms _____.”
Classroom Planning
The main organisational principle of the teaching-learning process is the lesson. To fulfil the objec-
tives expected from each lesson, it is necessary to plan them.
To plan means to foresee the way the lesson will develop.
To prepare the lesson the teacher should answer the following questions:
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1. For whom are you organising the class? (the pupils);
2. Why give this lesson? (objectives);
3. What is the subject of this lesson? (content);
4. How are you going to give this lesson? (teaching methods);
5. What are you going to use during this lesson? (teaching materials);
6. How long will the lesson take? (duration of the lesson);
7. To what extent will the objectives be fulfilled? (evaluation).
Daily structure
Time Subject
x – x A
x – x B
x – x C
Lesson structure
All lessons must have a structure. The lesson consists of five (5) parts: introduction, new contents,
application, review and conclusion. You will see that all the model lessons are structured based
on this pattern so that the user will have an idea on how to structure each lesson. All the lessons,
including review lessons, consist of these five parts.
Introduction or motivation
In order to get the pupils’ attention, tell them what they are going to learn. Introduce your lesson
subject by singing a song or telling a story to motivate the pupils as well as to facilitate the vari-
ety of activities.
New content
The content is everything that you are going to teach. Generally you must teach one thing only in
each lesson. There are different ways of transmitting the content of a lesson: Tell the students
everything (expository method); ask questions for the students to answer (Socratic method); work
in groups; and, work in pairs (put together the pupil who knows with the one who does not
know). Explain clearly the content of the lesson. Provide the information step by step in a logical
sequence.
Application
This is the active part of the lesson. The pupil must always have an activity to undertake so that
the teacher may know if the content was well transmitted. These must be application activities: fill
in gaps (with letters or words), reading from the blackboard or the slate and
providing the solution to the problems given. Remember that this is the learning period - walk
around the room and make sure the pupils understand what they are supposed to do, speak to
them, and help those with difficulties.
Review
This is the time to review the main areas of what has been taught. This can be done through the
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use of conversation, games and dramatisations. Remember that this is not a test, but rather one of
the ways to know the effectiveness of what you have been teaching, in order to
know which contents need to be reviewed.
Conclusion
Finish the lesson with a compliment to the pupils (a smile, a positive comment, etc.). Remind
them about the contents they have learnt, elaborating the lesson summary with their help.
Types of lessons
There are several types of lessons: introduction lessons or presentation of new contents; applica-
tion lessons; - revision lessons, etc. For more efficient lessons, one should consider the method to
be used. The most common is the participatory method.
The latter is a method that, although being conducted mainly by the teacher, is participatory.
Always try to involve the pupils in the lesson by asking them questions; also have them come to
the front to give a demonstration. Make them participate as much as possible.
There are certain aspects to consider:
1. Your way of speaking. Your voice should sound interesting and enthusiastic in order to
grasp the pupils’ interest.
2. The support material should be varied.
3. The lessons should not be too long to avoid loss of interest from the pupils.
4. The contents should be taught step by step.
Work groups happen when you place a certain number of pupils together to work co-operatively.
This group may consist of three pupils (a smaller group) or of eight pupils (a larger group) - to
use more than eight pupils makes working together more difficult. The teacher should always
work with groups of the same size.
Advantages from working in groups:
1. It is easier to get to know the pupils better;
2. It allows the pupils to take responsibility for their own learning;
3. The pupils are more involved in the learning process (which means that they are aware of
the learning process);
4. The pupils have the opportunity to learn from their colleagues.
Learning in groups is a very efficient method because it involves all the pupils and makes them
all part of the learning process. If it is the first time you do this type of work, it is better to do it in
the revision lesson or in lessons that lead to discussions.
Learning from pupil to pupil: this happens when we have two pupils working together; one
learns from the other and vice-versa. Another way is to put them in pairs to talk about the con-
tents introduced and let them find out more about it by themselves.
Activity or participation in the learning process: this happens when the pupils are involved in
some kind of activity which is part of the learning process. Games and experiments are examples
of learning activities. Research has demonstrated that pupils learn about 20-30% of what they
hear; 40-50% of what they see; and 80% of what they do.
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For this reason, efficient teaching should include as many activities as possible. You will notice
that, with time, you will have to reduce the number of review lessons, at the same time the pupils
will be more motivated.
Timetable
In order to organise his work the teacher needs a daily and weekly timetable. Aspects to consider
when planning a timetable:
- Equal distribution of subjects
- Subject diversity
- Duration of lessons
Equal distribution of subjects means that the subjects requiring more mental effort should be
taught first, normally language and mathematics. The other subjects can follow, increasing the va-
riety. The variety created by the change of subjects helps keep the pupils interested.
You can introduce subjects that are not part of the curriculum, especially if they enrich the pupils’
general culture: games, music, songs and dramas from their country. To the greatest extent pos-
sible, attempt to mix easy and difficult subjects, one after the other to increase the
interest and motivation of the pupils.
The duration of the lesson depends of its contents and the pupils’ interest.
Examples of timetables:
1. Language - reading simple sentences 30 minutes
2. Civic Education - communication games 30 minutes
3. Mathematics - addition with two digits 20 minutes
4. Language - interpreting stories 45 minutes
5. Health and hygiene 15 minutes
6. Physical Education 40 minutes
Although the pupils are only in the school for 3 hours, they have a variety of lessons and only the
essentials are taught. One of the problems of emergency teaching is the great number of pupils
who drop out of school. Varying the lessons is a way to overcome this problem and to occupy
their days doing something interesting with learning activities that seem useful for the pupils and
are related to their real life.
Pedagogic competence
This guide is not really a pedagogic manual; however, it is important to mention some pedagogic
techniques to help the less experienced teachers, as well as those with no pedagogic background.
Pedagogic techniques
Know your subject well. If you do not fully understand the contents, you cannot expect your pupils
to understand them either. During planning or preparation, try to understand the subject matter
fully, so you can teach them properly.
If you want to create bilateral learning with the pupils, you have to know how to ask questions.
There are two types of questions:
- questions with limited answers (yes or no) and
- open questions with several answers possible (which can lead to a discussion).
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Use open questions frequently; they will help you to find out how much the pupils have learnt and
will create an atmosphere of enquiry and discussion.
Questions can be:
Knowledge questions: Ask questions whose answers are in the text, i.e. «What is the
name of the girl?» (use the interrogative pronouns). (OK)
Application questions:Ask questions that allow the pupils to understand the action of the story
(«What has the mother done?»)
Analysis questions: Ask questions that lead the pupils to analyse the story. «Why did the boy
take away the chair?» (use Why?).
Synthesising questions: Ask questions that lead the pupils to create new ideas related to the
story, i.e. «How would you change the version of the story?» or
«What would have happened if the boy did not take away the
chair?» (Use how, what and why).
Evaluation: Ask the pupils how they feel, what do they think about he story. Did they like the
story? Why? What would you do to enrich the story?
Understanding
Understanding is the level that allows us to perceive how much the pupils have learnt. In mathe-
matics you will see the level of understanding during the application exercises that the pupil does
during the lesson, or during an open dialogue. At the beginning of the language subject the pupil
should be able to explain the essential parts of the work done, as well as its correct order, which
can be done orally, through drawings, story dramatisation and/or written or oral questions.
Personal qualities
A clear yet natural voice: you should not exaggerate the tone of your voice, rather, speak in a
tone that all the pupils will be able to hear. This is very important when teaching sounds.
The teacher must be calm and friendly to the pupils. Students learn far more with someone they
like or admire. This does not mean that the pupils need not respect the teacher - they do, but they
will be more receptive to learning if they do not fear the teacher.
Try to obtain more information about the pupils. Make sure you are able to see all the pupils dur-
ing the class. Looking at the pupils helps them to know that you are interested in them and they
will be more attentive.
Move around the classroom to check on what the pupils are doing. Once again, your interest will
stimulate them to work, and you will easily identify the pupils who do not understand properly, as
well as those who are not paying attention.
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General advice for the teacher
1. GOOD TEACHING
A pupil who is happy is a pupil who learns quickly !
Not only does the teacher have the responsibility of teaching the programmes well, but he has
the responsibility of making sure his pupils are happy, confident and feel at ease. If a pupil is un-
sure of what to do or has not understood, the teacher must explain patiently.
The teacher must always use positive encouragement.
Any effort is worth praise. The teacher will soon learn which pupils learn quickly and which
pupils need an extra explanation or two. The teacher can teach accordingly, encouraging every-
body to do their best. In the TEP methodology group work is a natural element in the day to day
activities in the classroom. The pupils learn to cooperate and help each other, they are active and
learn by doing. During all kinds of participatory activities there will be some noise in the class-
room. This is inevitable and a certain level of noise must be tolerated by the teacher during these
sessions. Making groups where weaker and stronger pupils are mixed sometimes helps, as the
stronger pupils are able to help the weaker ones, especially if they are asked to share their good
ideas. It is important to keep in mind that for the stronger pupils this kind of group activity is bene-
ficial as they have a good chance to consolidate previous learning by “teaching” a weaker
pupil. Alternatively, making groups of equally matched pupils sometimes works as the teacher
can leave a strong group to get on by themselves while he works with a group that needs a bit
more help.
It is a sign of good teaching that the pupils ask questions.
Always encourage ideas and questions and frequently ask, “Have you any questions?” or “Have
you any problems?”
If pupils feel they can ask questions and are not afraid of raising their hands
then they are happy and will learn faster!
It is the teacher’s responsibility to ask himself, “Is this good for the pupils? Are they understand-
ing? What can I change to make it better?” If the pupils enjoy the games or the acting sessions,
don’t be afraid to do more games or have the pupils move around.
Keep a look out for the quieter pupils who are reluctant to answer and give
them confidence by asking them easier questions and praising them when they
make a good effort.
Remember to involve all the pupils in the course of a lesson so that they feel they are being taught
personally. The teacher should pay special attention to the girls and make sure that they are in-
volved and active at all times.
Move around the classroom so that you can see what all the pupils are doing.
Learning the pupils’ names quickly makes a difference. A good game to play is where all the
pupils stand and as you say their name they sit down. Count the remaining pupils and see if you
can improve your score day by day.
Above all, remember that the pupils will never forget you - so make sure their
memories are good ones!
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