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Education Report on Mariam, Edina and Kundi whilst on the UK for eight weeks
Subjects Taught: Maths, English, Science & ICT
Classes started: 20.10.2012
Class finished: 1.12.2012
Mathematics – Topics covered
For the first two weeks I took Edina and Kundi for all the subjects mentioned above and then another teacher took over for the Maths.
During these two weeks I focused on:
- Money- Simple and Compound Interest
- Edina and Kundi claimed to have done this topic in Standard seven so it was like a revision for them. They quickly grasped the concept and were keen to try different methods to solve the problems involved. They were also excited of the fact that I used interactive materials such as videos, diagrams and games that helped them understand the topic much better than when they did it in Tanzania with limited resources.
- Shapes – Revision on 2D and 3D shapes (areas, perimeters, properties of 3D shapes)
During these two weeks, the two girls also had a chance to revise on shapes, particularly with 3D shapes because they were a little bit unsure. We specially looked at five of the common 3D shapes which include: Cone, Sphere, Pyramid, Prism and Cylinder. We studied the formulas for finding the areas of these shapes and also looked at their special properties i.e. edge, vertices and faces. Again, I used a lot of interactive games from the computer which helped the girls to understand the concept very clearly and be able to apply it in real life instead of it being all abstract. I tried doing Volumes with them but they found it difficult since they were not yet competent with 3D shapes.
- Mental Maths: Times Tables
- From my observation, there seemed to be a tendency with the girls to do everything on paper and found it difficult to work out problems in their head, so I decided to do mental maths exercise with them, every morning before the sessions began. The mental maths mainly focused times tables and at the end of the eight weeks, when I tested them, their mental maths seemed to have improved tremendously.
- Overall, both girls’ maths knowledge, understanding and application is brilliant and I have been trying to encourage them to perhaps consider science based subjects when they go to secondary school because they have the ability to do it.
English – Topics covered
- At this stage Mariam also joined the other two girls for both English and Science
- Similes and Metaphors to enhance their writing and speaking skills
- ReSpelling descriptive words – The purpose was to help them enhance their
- ading for fluency and expanding their vocabularies – They read and watched the film on the ‘Christmas Carol’ story. Afterwards, I gave them the opportunity to discuss the story’s main themes and what it teaches us as human beings. They then wrote an account of the story using their new vocabularies as well as adding similes and metaphors to enhance their writing.
Their Reading was superb and I was amazed at their excellent pronunciations especially with Edina. They all understood the story perfectly well and asked questions when they were unsure. It was thrilling watching them improve their reading, writing and speaking skills. I was also impressed to hear them using the new similes or metaphors that I have taught them which demonstrated that they were taking the lessons very seriously and keen to apply the knowledge. Out of all the subjects, English seemed to be the one they were all very confident with and excelled at. I assume this is because Bethany has placed a great emphasis on the subject because it is very valuable for the independence of the children.
Science- Topics covered
- Reproduction – Cloning
- The Scientific method
- Excretory system
- Circulatory system
- Facts about the Heart
- Light
Through games, videos and discussion we managed to cover all these topics in Science and it was a great experience for them all as they enjoyed the learning process because it was interactive and fun. They were so enthusiastic that every time we did an exercise on a topic, they wanted to have a copy of the materials. I was so impressed with all of them because they were always enthusiastic to have a go, even when they did not quite know the answer. For Edina and Kundi, all these topics were just a revision for them because they had already done them in standard seven, whereas for Mariam it was her first time hearing some of the topics.
ICT
- Since I had a laptop and the girls were all intrigued by it, I thought it was a good idea for me to show them some few functions of the computer and let them practice their typing skills. Therefore, half an hour before the sessions ended, I let them take turns on the computer and showed them how to use ‘Microsoft word’, save what they have typed etc. They were all excited about this and they thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was a great experience and a privilege to be able to teach these three girls and I hope that all the things they have learnt within these eight weeks in England will be helpful back in Tanzania and would motivate them to want to expand their world knowledge and reach their goals as they strive to be great role models and ambassadors of Tanzania and Africa as a whole.
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