My Daily Log as a Lecturer

What happened (Done)

As a lecturer let me described a situation in which I learned from the students!
Being the the students in one classroom discussion and sharing what they have research in the local industries, one can tell that we learn a lot when we share in groups. My view of thinking that the teacher is superior to the students is altered. As a lecturer we don't normally notice that there a lot of potential ideas/students who can inspire us (lecturers). And yet, if you are to reflect upon what they share in group discussion about what they have research on, one can learn alot from their different research activities.
So, I went home and started reflecting upon the sharings of the day with the students. As I sat at the corridor of the resident, I read through what I have noted from the discussion and I contemplate on what I have learned.

What I have Learned

I think from the description of the situation that happened in the class discussion with the students, I felt that I have learned something. The knowledge part of it that we can learn a lot of ideas from the students by involving them in a group discussion and they share their challenges from the research activitieis that they have performed. The learning that was left with me was the way we share with our students as alecturers and the way we value their/student sharing with us.

The Wise Part for me as a Lecturer!

In my mind, I need to continue involving students in group sharing rather than teaching them on what I/you think is right or the only knowledge. Because I strongly believe that one day at a time they may be lecturers at their various schools and use the same method that they have learned from the University studies. Thus, the concept of student centered-learning may take its shape.

Mr. Paul Tartisio Kenyi

HOW CAN I IMPROVE MY PRACTICE AS A TEACHER AND FACILITATOR?

SUMMARY OF THE MA DISSERTATION

This dissertation is a self-study research approach into my practice as a teacher and facilitator at Wau Vocational Training Center (WVTC). I examined my experiences as a teacher for 7 years, enquire the forms of my knowing and my claims that I know, through adapting a self-study research approach under the umbrella question: how can I improve my practice (Whitehead, 2009)?
Throughout my first year as a master student at Akershus University College (HiAk), I have come to acquire new knowledge about a variety of research methodology and methods. Furthermore, my second year and gaining a perspective of Whitehead & McNiff, enlightened me more and found that self-study research approach is one of the valuable methodologies which offers a way to systematically look at ways to improve the “I”. The “I” is a key element of self-study research approach that distinguishes it from other types of research methodologies.
Self-study research approach places emphasis on the “I” within forms of action, and in relation to other people ideas, and events (Hamilton, 1998). My approached to self-study research approach was based on the question: how can I improve my practice as a teacher and facilitator while working together with instructors/teachers in order to discuss with them and facilitate them in increasing the learning outcome of their students? The purpose of this study is to look into what I encountered in my past experiences as a teacher as I moved to examine and improve my practice of it through the facilitation of instructors at WVTC.
As I traveled down the path of improving my practice as a teacher together with instructors at WVTC, I learned so many roles of being a teacher, discovered my vulnerabilities, and found a community of support in the writings of Whitehead, McNiff and Tom Russell, and Hamilton. The improvements and understanding I gained through engaging in this study demonstrate that self-study can be beneficial for me to improve my practice in order to increase the learning outcome of the students.
For this study I collected data from Wau Vocational Training Center (WVTC). The findings are divided into two sections. The first section handled the preliminary meeting with the leadership of WVTC, followed by the first workshop conducted for the staff of the same center by the experts from HiAk. The second section displayed my periodic meetings with the instructors at WVTC for one and half month. The same section (2) portrayed the interviews conducted for three head of the departments, namely; Electrical, Carpentry and Masonry as well as observation in the same sections for theory class and workshop practice. It is through the methods and tools that I used e.g. photography, research dairy (log writing), and audio recordings, I documented all the activities that I engulfed in at WVTC, which are explicated in the later stages of this work.

BY PAUL TARTISIO KENYI (MA, HIAK: 2008 - 2010)

VOCATIONAL PRACTICES AT DON BOSCO VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTER AND WORKPLACES/LOCAL INDUSTRIES IN WESTERN BAHR EL-GHAZAL STATE, WAU – SOUTHERN SUDAN

Abstract


As a graduate teacher, I was involved in teaching and instructing young men and women with vocational education skills. I was teaching for 7 years at Don Bosco Vocational training center in Wau, Southern Sudan. I taught 5 years at DBVTC and 2 years at Upper Secondary School. My work as a teacher was engulfed in teaching workshop calculation, technical drawing, Religion and English at DBVTC. At Upper Secondary School I was involved in teaching Mathematics, English and Religion.
Sudan as a whole and in particular Southern Sudan now is facing the educational campaign by UNICEF under the title “Let all the children/youth go to school” and to me as a teacher who have experience of what technical and vocational education can give, I will rather suggest and advocate for general education for all, as well vocational education for all. The development of the skills labor is fading from Southern Sudan. The government/NGOs should back-up the existing vocational training centers and others to improve the vocational and technical education i.e. if we need to create a qualitative jump in training the people of Sudan more especially the people of Southern Sudan with vocational knowledge and skills.
In order to advocate and publish awareness to people of good will about the importance of technical and vocational education, I felt the need of taking a research to look critically into the vocational practices at DBVTC and the local industries around Wau Town. My concern in this research is to emphasis on the vocational education and training (Skill Development), especially for the less educated, poor and out of school youth (drops out), which has been highlighted by some researchers, NGOs and in various forums both in Europe and Africa.
Large percentage of the population in Sudan, particularly South Sudan is living below poverty line. One of my field works was the researched on the causes of lower percentage of skilled persons in the workforce. For instance in Wau, Western Bahr El-Ghazal State, the skill development at present is taking place mostly in the informal way, i.e. persons acquire skills at the work-place when they help their parents, relatives and employers etc. Such persons do not have a formal certificate and thus earn lower wages and are exploited by employers. They have come through informal system due to socio-economic circumstances of the family and the compulsions of earning a livelihood rather than attending a formal course at the vocational training centers. While their productivity is seen as low due to their informal training, their contribution on the other hand is ignored and it is so rich in nature. With this in mind, the State (South Sudan Government) and other NGOs/Donors should create a system of certification which not only recognizes their skills attained by informal training but also provides education and training in a mode that suits their economic compulsions that can benefit the workforce of the State, to earn a decent living (reduce poverty) and bring down the high level of un employability. It can also contribute to the vocational training centers existing in South Sudan and even the national economy by better productivity of this workforce and market labor to the neighboring countries.

Paul Tartisio Kenyi - September 2009

Group Discussion

The Learning Group Members on group discussion



The facilitator of the training divided the trainers/participants into three learning groups. The most experiential moment the facilitator had was when the trainers/participants asked the differece between TEACHING METHODOLOGY & VOCATIONAL PEDAGOGY?

Before the facilitator could explain or differentiate the terminologies, the group were asked to be in groups to answer the above mentioned question. The following reports are from the three learning groups on the different between the two concepts

1. Teaching methodology(pedagogy) is the way an instructor/teacher:
a) Present himself before the students in the classroom
b)Present his teaching materials/Aid during the lesson
c)Language he/she uses in the classroom when teaching
d)Extra curricula activities among others

Teaching Methodology is all about teaching in the classroom or what some instructors/teachers called lesson plan.

On the other hand, Vocational Pedagogy is all about learning process/life long learning or experiential learning. It is the facilitation of learning process where each of us takes the responsibility of learning in a democratic environment. Although it too us some time to understand the difference between the two concepts, the participants understood the meaning behind the two concepts. However, the facilitator asked the trainers once again in their learning group the most valuable question (the umbrella of the training): How can I improve my Own Teaching Practice? This was for group discussion and the facilitator is waiting for the group report.

Thanks once again and wait for more........................

Paul T.K

Vocational Teachers Development Training

Introductiory Part of the Training


Don Bosco Vocational Training Center is Manage by Salesians of Don Bosco, an International Agency providing youth services specially through vocational/technical training.
On the other hand, Wau Vocational Training Centre, which is a GOSS institution, is being rehabilitated to support Youth Entrepreneurship Development through vocational skills training. UNIDO is currently supporting the establishment of the Wau Vocational Training Centre including equipping and staffing in order to start training programmes as early as September 2009.

The Traing will be for four (4) days at Wau VTC compound, facilitated by John Paul Akec from Malakal and Paul Tartisio Kenyi from Wau.

The objectives of the Training for the instructors is:

1. To develop and refresh teaching Methodology skills (Student Centered rather than teacher's centered) and that includes the following subjects:

a) Practical and theoretical lesson planning and implementation
b) Monitoring, Evaluating and Reporting
c)Basic teaching practice
d)Extra curricula activities
e) Admission process and selection criteria
f)Management skills both the workshops and students/trainees
g)Use of tools and machineries, Maintenance and workshop safety
h)Curricula implementation and technical upgrading.

The trainers/participants were divided into Three (3) learning groups and the session are divided into three parts: from 9:00am to 10:30am first session; 11:00am to 1:00pm second session; 2:00pm to 3:30pm third session and 4:00pm to 5:00pm personal work and log writing.

This is how the training was organize and I hope to share more on the remaining days of the workshop with you all.

Paul T.K

DAY THREE (WEDNESDAY) 18TH - 2 - 09

At the beginning of the workshop in day three, Trond Smistad gave an introductory part of the day and asked the group to brain storm on what we/they have learnt on yesterday’s participation. During the discussion there was a diagram on what is done, learn and smart to do.

What was done yesterday according to the workshop members was:• Brain storming,
• System thinking
• Planning before action

What they have learnt was:• The rules to chose the topic
• The influence of the environment
• Time frame and goals responsibility
• How to face challenges.

However, what is smart to do was: all group should have the same topic to brain storm around, knowledge about the topic is required for the participants. The question that the group were asked to discuss was, how to facilitate learning for the new generation?

When writing documentation, there is a need to find information to support your improvement. The question that we need to understand more on this where to get the information to support your documentation:
• Internet
• Library
• Other human beings
• Museums
• Training centers
• The community around us
• Models and practitioners

All these are the sources that we can get information to support our writings or research. Beside that, there is another question that we need to consider and it is how to identify useful information to back-up the findings you have?
• Define what we are looking for
• Since we have define what we are looking for, which suitable method is enabling us to get hold of information

DAY TWO OF THE WORKSHOP

One of the group giving the report of the group




Day Two of the Workshop:
17th – Feb. – 2009
Time: 9:00 am

The seminar started at 9:00 am with an introductory part both of yesterday and the second day. The discussion was initiated among the learning group before the individual sharing. The groups were asked to identify three points from yesterday’s discussion after which will be share in the group.

They gave their report on what they have learned from yesterday’s session and the three points are:

Group 1
• Documentation
• Group discussion
• Communication model

In group 2 they outline their points as:

•Relationship between trainers
• How to open the blogs and communicate with others
• Participatory learning

In group 3 was the following:
• Self assessment
• Personal logs
• Methods of learning in group
• How to activate the students to learn.

In group 4
•They have learn how to develop interest in learning and the rest are already mention

The dialogue we had in the session was really helpful and has enriched each of us. The purpose of our documentation is actually to share knowledge, receive feedback and reflect upon the respond from us. The sharing of knowledge enables people to learn more through my work because we are like building a system of education together.

The Challenges
What do I want to develop in my practice?
The concept behind this seminar is building a pedagogical method for knowledge development of the teacher’s education.

Brain Storm
There was an open question about the meaning of brain storm. Many came with different understanding. It has to do with specific subject and open discussion. Another concept is one person talk at a time, discussion within the subject. The one who controls always have a lot of challenges.
However, this brain storming, there was a question of how can I improve my teaching methods? The groups were asked to go for discussion and come up with some of those challenges.