I have been going to Nepal since 2011 to help primary teachers learn about teaching. In the country schools, primary teachers do not have any teacher education courses so they teach as they were taught, boring textbook drill and practice without hands-on or any sort of activity that might help students understand the content.
"Read More" for detail of the planned trip
If members or friends would like to accompany the team please send an email to: Anne Prescott
Anne Prescott Wahroonga Rotary Club International Director
For three weeks in January, Eric Coonan and I will be travelling to Gorkha, Nepal to give the primary teachers this professional development. We are working at two schools – Dharapani and Manbu – and there will be about 30 teachers at each venue. Manbu was very close to the epicentre of the earthquake in 2015 and Dharapani was a little further away. They lost 90% of their houses and all the schools. Both areas are rebuilding and it is very pleasing to see the families in solid houses and the students in newer schools.
.jpg)
Dharapani village
)
A session at Dharapani
We stay in tents – it does get cold (between zero and -5 overnight) but the tents are warm!
The sessions are about classroom management, using activities to help students understand the Mathematics and English, Mathematics content and English vocabulary and pronunciation. Sometimes, we have science classes, it just depends who wants to come. Eric is a Mathematics teacher and this year, I will take the English sessions.
We travel with Ace the Himalaya https://www.acethehimalaya.com/ one of the best, if not the best, trekking firm in Nepal. Ace the Himalaya is linked to the Nepali charity called Sambhav Nepal https://www.sambhavnepal.org/ . They look after us extremely well for the time we are in Nepal – in Kathmandu, at the schools and then trekking.
The teachers learn how to teach reading, in English and Nepali.