Blog 12 - Personal

28/04/12

As I sit here in Nairobi writing my final blog, it gives me the opportunity to reflect not only on my final week in Uganda but also the wonderful opportunity that Ashleigh and I were given to complete a semester of study in Africa.

Throughout our trip in Uganda there has “been more to see than could ever be seen”(Rice, 1994) and last weekend was no exception when we took our three day safari trip to Murchison Falls.  I had anticipated this trip to be a real life scene from the lion king and you will be glad to know that it did not disappoint us.  After experiencing an African sunrise at 6am we were off in our four wheeled drive to see some amazing animals in their natural surroundings.  These animals included giraffes, leopards, herds of buffalo, warthogs, hippos, crocodiles, elephants and the list goes on.  Needless to say Ashleigh and I found this game drive quite amazing, the vast plains of reserve and various types of animals were quite remarkable and it didn’t end there!

The next day we took a hike to the top of Murchison (freedom) falls were we saw the breathtaking scenery of where the falls begin and meet the river Nile.  The many colourful rainbows and 360 degree views were something that was well worth the journey to the top!  It is hard to believe that the end of this wonderful weekend was the beginning of the end of our adventure in Uganda.

As we said our many goodbyes this week I know that I will be leaving a part of me behind.  I have made so many long lasting friends and memories here that it has definitely become a home away from home.  This contrasts with my first night in Kampala in which I found the prospect of staying here three months quite overwhelming.  But as each week past I grew more attached to the wonderful people, children and surroundings which I was submerged in for nearly thirteen weeks.

My favourite part of my time spent here has been volunteering at the ‘Tomorrow’s Heroes’ programme on a Sunday.  I am so grateful for the time I spent getting to personally know and love these boys and I will really miss them all when I return to Northern Ireland. 

Even though Ashleigh and I are saying goodbye to Uganda for awhile we still have a few more countries to conquer before we return to Northern Ireland.  We are both looking forward to seeing what exciting things Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar and Egypt have in store for us both.  I am sure that none of them will compare to our time which has gone so fast in Uganda but I am confident that my memories of this beautiful country and these wonderful people will hold a piece of my heart forever. 

Blog 11 - Professional

19/04/12

This week commenced with our farewell assembly at City Parents School, our placement school.  We were very grateful for receiving an invitation back to the school, and honoured to have an assembly dedicated to thanking us for our time spent there.  We were eager to find out what this assembly had in store for us; On arrival at 7.30am we were seated at the front of the assembly and greeted by all of the smiling faces of over 600 Key Stage One pupils.  The assembly began with many kind and thankful words from the headmaster, head of department and staff of City Parents.  It was quite overwhelming to realise the long lasting impression we had made with the staff of this school after just a few short weeks spent there.

The assembly continued with various performances from teachers and students in which they performed some traditions African dances and sang many of the songs that we had taught the children throughout our placement.  It was lovely to hear the performances of our songs as it demonstrated to us how much the children had enjoyed the various teaching activities which we had created for them.  Towards the end of the assembly each of the children presented us with homemade cards and gifts leaving both of us completely overwhelmed by the generosity of the children and overpowered with the sheer number of gifts we received.  This heart warming assembly proved to us how much this school appreciated our presence there and confirmed how much we were going to miss our time teaching in this wonderful school.

This week has also marked the end of our classes at Makerere University which have had both many similarities and differences when compared to our lectures back home in Stranmillis University.  During our time at Makerere University we were enrolled onto two modules ‘Instructional methods of teaching’ and ‘Technology in the classroom’.  While studying in these classes, I found my twelve other classmates (PGCE students) very welcoming and interested in our experience of teaching in Northern Ireland compared to that of Uganda.  Throughout our weeks spent in this class I found it both challenging and intriguing to share my perspective on teaching and discuss the similarities and differences between teaching methods taught in Northern Ireland, and those taught in Uganda.  These discussions also helped me to evaluate my current teaching practices and encouraged me to reflect upon how aspects of Ugandan teaching practices could be incorporated into my own teaching style in a way to enhance my pupils learning experience.

One important difference which I observed during my time within the Ugandan education system was the contrast between education theory and practice which often appeared to exist.  Despite the fact that the lecturers spoke frequently on various western techniques such as interaction in class, I did not often observe this in practice.  The Northern Ireland Curriculum states that “children should be given opportunities to engage with and demonstrate the skill of communication and to transfer their knowledge about communication concepts and skills.”(CCEA, 2007)  In university, the lecturers often spent a large portion of their time dictating notes, this was ironic as it eliminated the opportunity to practice the techniques which formed the subject matter of these notes, namely class discussion and class interaction.  It also set the tone for the principle teaching method used when teaching students in school, where many of the teachers encouraged dictation and rote learning as the main method for education.  In spite of this drawback we found the lecturers very friendly and approachable outside of the lecture theatre in regards to giving advice and guidance on assignments.

Overall, I feel my time spent in City Parents Primary School and studying at Makerere University has been a wonderfully beneficial experience.  I have been truly blessed with this opportunity to experience a different education system outside of western society.  My time spent here has helped me to fully appreciate the vast range of teaching resources that we have in Northern Ireland, and to reflect, challenge and evaluate my own teaching styles.  Having the opportunity to engage with the countless teaching resources available at Stranmillis when contrasted with the limited resources available for teachers in Uganda has enlightened me to make full use of the privileges that we have been given in Northern Ireland as future teachers.

Our final assembly

References

CCEA, (2007), The Northern Ireland Curriculum: Revised Edition, CCEA, Belfast.

Blog 9 and 10 - Personal/Cultural

12/04/12

Garth's welcome sign

Ashleigh and I decided that after two months of exploring the city of Kampala, it was time to discover what other gems were to be found in the ‘Pearl of Africa’.  After completing our placement and volunteer work we decided to spend the Easter holidays travelling around Uganda.  Personally, I have been eagerly anticipating the Easter break for many weeks because my boyfriend Garth was due to arrive in Uganda to spend Easter with us.  I was very excited as I stood in the arrivals lounge at Entebbe airport with my homemade sign ready to welcome Garth to my new home.  I was interested to find out what Garth would make of my life here in Uganda and how he feels I have adapted to this different environment.  I also wanted to share with him a glimpse of my experience of African culture thus far.

We didn’t waste much time easing Garth into the African way of life as we decided to take a trip to Jinja the following day after his arrival.  Jinja is a small town situated beside the Source of the River Nile and has become a popular destination for travellers wishing to experience the power of the Nile’s famous white water rapids.  In order to make the two hour journey to Jinja we needed to catch a matatu from the ‘Old taxi Park’ in Kampala.  This soon gave Garth a glimpse to what the public transport system is like in Africa; We weaved our way through the web of matatus, and eventually found one bound for Jinja, after waiting twenty five minutes for other passenger to arrive we eventually left Kampala to begin exploring the rest of Uganda.

The breathtaking scenery of the River Nile was situated right on the doorstep of our hostel at Bujugali falls and it certainly did not disappoint.  While Garth rested following his previous days’ travelling, Ashleigh and I decided to visit the source of the River Nile.  It was very interesting to take a guided boat trip to the underground springs found in Lake Victoria which mark the beginning of the 3 month journey which the river takes from Uganda to Egypt.  This relaxing afternoon coasting along on the sun soaked Nile also gave me a chance to prepare myself for the adrenaline pumping activity which Garth and I were to embark on the next day.

View from our hostel

Ashleigh and I at the source of the Nile

The grade five white water rapid rafting experience offered on the Nile is marketed as a thrill not to be missed.  Garth and I were both really excited to see what the “adrenaline capital of east Africa” (Fitzpatrick, 2009) had in store for us.   I grew quite apprehensive during the safety precaution lecture as the guides explained how to avoid serious injury and minimise the risk of potential ‘drowning.’  However, after venturing down our first eight metre waterfall I knew that this was going to be an exhilarating day which I was not going to forget.  As our rafting adventure continued we soon grew accustomed to being either submerged under water or floating down the river Nile waiting to be rescued by the extremely talented kayakers who coursed through the rapids with ease.   

Garth and I rafting on the Nile

 My adventurous weekend didn’t stop there as the next day all three of us donned dungarees, goggles, bandanas and helmets to spend the morning on a quad bike safari.  This two hour trek consisted of many bumpy, dusty, narrow paths leading through numerous traditional African villages before reaching the stunning scenery and rapids of the river Nile.  The combination of thrilling rapids, exciting quad trails, stunning surroundings and beautiful African sunshine provided us with the perfect escape from the craziness of Kampala and really accentuated the reputation for which Jinja is renouned.

Our quading adventure

 After spending a few days showing Garth around Kampala we decided to travel further a field.  We took an eight hour coach in order to reach Kabale the centre of the much desired tourist destination of Lake buynoni.  As we first caught a sight of the lake which encircles 29 small islands, we could only stand in amazement of what is “undoubtedly the loveliest lake in Uganda.” (Fitzpatrick, 2009)  In order to reach our guest house we opted to travel to the secluded island ‘Byoona Amagara’ in a “Pocahontas Style” dugout canoe.  These canoes, carved from the trunk of a eucalyptus tree, are a typical mode of transport for the Batwa tribe which inhabit the islands of Lake Bynoni and provided us with a unique perspective of this magical freshwater wonderland.

A view of lake Bynoni

Upon spending a night in our eco friendly, no frills accommodation with only candle light and African style toilets to submerge us in the simplistic life which many Africans still adopt today, Garth and I decided to experience the Batwa mode of transport for ourselves while Ashleigh enjoyed the African sunshine.  As we started to paddle away from shore in a hired dugout canoe we soon discovered that the people of the Batwa tribe make steering these canoes look incredibly easy.  We spent first half an hour of our canoe trail going around in circles, a technique which the local people commonly recognise as “the mzungu corkscrew.”  To our relief, a friendly Ugandan man taught us a few much needed paddling tips which soon got us on our way to exploring some of the islands of Lake Bynoni.  One of the islands which we were keen to go and investigate is suitably named ‘punishment island’.  The tiny island of Akampeine is easy to distinguish from the others as it has one lonely tree situated in its centre.  This island is rightly named punishment island because it was once the place where unmarried pregnant women of the Batwa tribe were left to die.  Despite the grim history to the island it was interesting to gain some historical knowledge about the traditions of the Batwa tribe.

Overall, I feel that the experience of visiting a gem like Lake Bynoni has helped me to appreciate how diverse Uganda can be as a country.  There was a stark contrast from the chaos of Kampala to the secluded bird paradise of the islands in Lake Bynoni.  This brief glimpse of travelling in Uganda has provided Ashleigh and I with a great enthusiasm for exploring more of Uganda and beyond as we embark on a brief period of travelling in East Africa once our university placement has concluded.  We are eager to embark on this next leg of our adventure to discover what sights, smells and experiences this tremendous continent has to offer.  After all, “we live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure.  There is no end to the adventures that we can have, if only we seek them with our eyes open.”(Nehru, 1952)

References

Fitzpatrick, M, (2009) Lonely Planet;East Africa, Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd, London.

Nehru, J, (1952) How to plan and survive safaris, camping trips and expeditions in Africa, FRGS.

Week 8 - Personal

01/04/2012

I knew that when I chose to come to Uganda for my international placement I was not just concerned about gaining an experience of another education system but I also wanted to gain an overall perspective of what it was like to live in Africa.  Alongside this I hoped to get an insight into some of the organisations that help the 2.5 million orphaned children which live in Uganda.  It is possible to visit Kampala and never fully appreciate the vast poverty which is so prominent in this city, but I wanted to see first hand the inequalities faced by these orphans.  Upon finishing our teaching placement we knew that we had some free time this week so we decided to volunteer at Bulrushes Baby Home in Kampala.

We found out about bulrushes through Watoto church which we have been attending here on a regular basis.  Watoto is a community based church which reaches out to the needs of Kampala in many different ways.  They have established three babies homes in Uganda along with several children’s villages in response to the overwhelming number of orphaned children in Uganda.  As an organisation they “rescue an individual, raise each one as a leader in their chosen sphere of life so that they in turn will rebuild their nation.” (Watoto,2010)

A baby disguised in a cow outfit

When our friends Katie, Ashleigh and Kelsey helped us to get involved with volunteering in Bulrushes for a week we were both excited and quite apprehensive at potentially looking after such small and sometimes sick babies.  When I walked in on the first day I didn’t really know what to expect, this made me quite nervous as it would be my first time working with babies.  I was placed with the babies who were aged below three months for the first few days before I was moved into the room with the babies aged 3-6 months.  There are around 15 babies placed in each room, this often became quite hectic which I soon realised once feeding time arrived.  When one baby cries it often spurred the others to turn it into a competition.  Therefore, multitasking quickly became the key skill which was required to deal with the daily routines of feeding, changing, bathing and nursing.  I have really loved this opportunity to observe and be involved with the amazing things that Watoto they are doing for these babies.  They are indeed “giving them the best possible start in life.”(Watoto,2010)

After spending some time in the babies’ home it was clear that these babies were truly loved and cared for by the nannies assigned to them.  It is wonderful to see how far these babies have progressed physically in such a short space of time.  It was hard to believe that some of these happy, healthy babies were once abused, premature or abandoned because they had serious medical conditions.  Spending a week in bulrushes has really opened my eyes to the need in Kampala and I have been able to appreciate first hand the impact of the work by Watoto in providing basic needs for these babies.  This much needed care is helping towards abolishing poverty and ultimately shows compassion to those who need it most.

References

Watoto, (2010) “Watoto;Baby Watoto,Watoto Africa, Uganda.  

Week Seven - Cultural

25/03/12

After completing the teaching practice aspect of our international placement last week, Ashleigh and I decided to spend a few days delving a little deeper into some of the traditions and cultural aspects of Uganda.  Our first day trip was spent at the Wildlife Education centre at Entebbe which boasts a wide number of African wildlife which can be found within the three main ecosystems in Africa: the wetland, the savannah and the forest.  This centre boasts one of the best conservation facilities in Africa, and it was exciting to discover the interactive environment it offered; a refreshing difference from the traditional confined zoo which we expected coming from the safety conscious and profit driven West.  I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with so many of the animals which are commonly found here in Uganda including lions, crocodiles, rhinos and snakes.  In particular, I found the leopard to be a very captivating and beautiful creature to look at, it was a real highlight to see one up close as they are rarely seen in the wild.   The leopard was so majestic as it effortlessly glided through the trees within its sanctuary.  This was in stark contrast to the mischievous monkeys which freely roamed around the centre.  Sometimes these monkeys got a little too close for comfort but provided much amusement during the afternoon as they tried to seize food from both our bags and hands.  I soon discovered how difficult it was to take a photo of these playful little creatures as they decided to either leap towards me or chase me away when they caught sight of my camera.

A little too close for comfort

This week also provided us with the opportunity to experience an evening at the Ndere cultural centre where audiences are entertained with various types of music and dance from different districts and tribes within Uganda.  After experiencing this cultural specialism of Africa, I agree that dance can be considered as an “international language that all people can appreciate.” (Taylor 1957) Dancing and music has been used in Africa for many years as a medium for communication between the various generations.  It was very interesting to learn about the backgrounds and various meanings behind some of the dances and the music which was played on traditional handcrafted African percussion, stringed and wind instruments.  At the end of the show both Ashleigh and myself were encouraged to accept the invitation to dance to some traditional African tunes; we soon proved that Mzungus do not have a huge amount of African rhythm but it was an enjoyable end to the evening nevertheless.

Traditional African music

Some African dancing

Line of latitude



Standing on two hemispheres at once



Towards the end of the week we decided to visit the equator.  After bartering a price (something which I have become quickly accustomed to doing in this culture) with several taxi drivers, we eventually set out to see the line of latitude.  As Ashleigh and I stood in both the Northern and Southern hemisphere, I began to reflect and appreciate the scale of cultural change which we have embraced during our short time in Uganda.  During these few weeks, I have had to adapt from the social and cultural norms and values held within the small, and often predictable and narrow minded country I call home.  Northern Ireland seems so far away from the life that I am living here in Uganda.  In Africa less is taken for granted and a greater emphasis is placed upon community and tradition values, as opposed to the ongoing commercialism, multiculturalism and political correctness which appears to be leaving my home devoid of cultural identity.  I am finding that I love every minute I spend here and I fully appreciate learning something new and interesting about this diverse culture every day.  I cannot wait to see what next week has in store for me on this African journey which I have embarked upon.   

On the pier at Lake Victoria

A tribal mask

 

Week Six - Professional/Cultural

15/03/12

As I reflect upon the past few weeks, it’s hard to believe that I am completing my last week of teaching placement in City Parents Primary School.  I have to admit that I have loved teaching in this school, despite my initial hesitance.  It took time to adjust to the different attitudes which prevail in the Ugandan education system.  I had to become comfortable with the larger class sizes and the different teaching approaches employed in Ugandan schools.  As I engaged with Ugandan culture each day, I continually learned more about the complex differences between Africa and Europe.  It was this  ongoing learning experience which  I enjoyed the most during my time teaching in City Parents Primary School.  These experiences included eating the traditional African cuisine of posso and matoki for lunch (although I can’t say I’m going to miss these foods too much) or viewing a traditional African tribal dance during the school assembly; a truly exciting and energetic spectacle.

Trying to dance in assembly

Traditional african tribal dance

 I feel that over the past few weeks I have gained a vast insight into the teaching culture of Africa which at times I have found to be very frustrating;  There is a definite lack of active learning with a constant emphasis on the presentation of work rather than concept appreciation.  While I understand from my experiences during this placement that teaching interactive lessons with such large numbers is difficult, I feel that Ashleigh and I have shown the teachers how their lessons can be more creative and engaging.  Using techniques which we learned at Stranmillis, we were able to captivate the children's imagination and immerse them into a learning experience focused on concept appreciation rather than rote learning.  I am confident that this placement has helped to develop my teaching competency, specifically  focused upon appreciating  “the impact of the cultural differences on the learning process.” (GTCNI)  By having the opportunity to fully embrace teaching in this culture I now feel that I have become more sensitive to different cultures and religions which will help me to fully welcome and adopt cultural diversity in my future classroom.  I recognise that cultural differences should not separate us from each other but rather “cultural diversity brings a collective strength that can benefit all of humanity.”(Sliverstein, 1983)

P3N's classroom reading book

Teaching Finn McCool

We decided to share our Irish culture this week with the teachers and pupils in Uganda.  This included telling the traditional Irish myth of Finn McCool which the children loved, singing some Irish songs and having a question time in which the children asked many interesting questions about what it was like to live in Ireland.  In order to share our culture with some of the staff, Ashleigh and I decided to invest our free time baking for the other staff members.  We chose to make jam and coconut scones for the staff which went down a treat with everyone.  Multiple cross-cultural experiences such as these over the past six weeks have helped us to break the barriers presented by some Ugandans towards Mzungus.  In our first few weeks a child pointed out that I was on the front cover of their class reading book which was entitled ‘Mzungu’.  When I read a few pages of the picture book I discovered that white people were described as ghost like figures which sound like chattering monkeys.  I hope that over the past six weeks we have shown these children that even though we look different we are in fact all the same and that “it doesn’t matter if you're black or white.”(Jackson,M)

Telling the story of Finn McCool

A typical African lunch (some beef rice and pumpkin)

So we decided to do some baking...

We made the teachers some jam and coconut scones

Overall I have truly enjoyed my time at City Parents School and I will miss the many faces which I have grown so fond of over the past six weeks.  However we have not said goodbye yet as the school are preparing a farewell assembly for us on the 13^th April which I am looking forward to immensely.  

My class  on the last day of school

References

General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland, (2007), GTCNI: Teaching: The reflective Profession, Teaching Council for Northern Ireland.

Jackson, M (1991), Black or White, Epic records.

Week Five - Professional

08/03/12

Over the past few weeks I have gradually grown accustomed to teaching in a different country and culture.  I have developed a comfortable teaching style with the Ugandan children and I am now fully enjoying my experience teaching Maths and P.E to P3N.  It states in the Northern Ireland Curriculum that “pupils learn best when learning is interactive, practical and enjoyable.”(CCEA,2007.)   My experience here in Uganda has allowed me to realise the true potential of this statement, particularly when reflecting upon the progress of my P.E lessons.  I have chosen the Olympics as a theme to promote the development of core motor skills and athletics.  The children have fully embraced this theme and they all seem to love the fact that they have been assigned different countries in order to compete with each other.  Teachers and pupils alike have been very intrigued by these exciting and active lessons which take place in the central courtyard in which all classrooms face.  It is quite common for some of the pre -schoolers to escape from their classes to join my lessons outside.

 Although enjoyable, teaching a class of eighty children has also proved challenging at times.  In Uganda, the use of corporal punishment is accepted and often encouraged as the main form of pupil discipline.  During our weekly lectures, the lecture regularly promotes the use of the cane in class as he believes that using any other form of discipline “will just turn our children into misfits.”  I however, disagree with this statement and during my teaching practice placement I have used various methods which exclude corporal punishment in order to control the class.  I have introduced the children to a five stage discipline programme named ‘Teacher Lynsey’s five stages’.  These stages are enforced when a child misbehaves or disrupts the class; starting at step one, the discipline procedure is escalated through the various successive stages should the child’s inappropriate behaviour continue.  The discipline stages progress as follows:

1. Verbal Warning

2. Stand at the front of class

3. Extra Work

4. Move down a class for the remainder of the lesson

5. Letter home to parents.

The children seem to be responding well to this new discipline technique and currently I have not had to proceed past number two on the list.  Furthermore, teacher David has also embraced the five stage discipline technique during his lessons also.

 I recognise that within teaching it is vitally important to provide children with positive reinforcement and enable them to set goals for themselves, thereby promoting empowerment.  In order to accomplish this with my P3’s I have introduced ‘beans’ as our reward system within class.  I have spilt the three rows within my class into different teams; the kobs, zebras and peacocks to promote and develop team working skills.  The children receive a bean for their team if they complete work to the best of their ability, respond to questions in class and work to their full potential.  At the end of each week the beans are totalled and the winning team receives a small prize.  It is amazing how well this strategy is working within class; with the children’s work ethic improving immensely.

Since beginning my teaching practice in City Parents School, I have had to adapt and implement the theoretical strategies learned in Stranmillis to the Ugandan teaching environment which I am experiencing, (with its many cultural and logistical obstacles.)  I feel that my competence and confidence addressing classroom management and conflict resolution has greatly increased as a result of this experience.  Furthermore I am learning many new management skills which can be employed in my future career as a primary school teacher.

CCEA, (2007) The Northern Ireland Curriculum; revised edition, Belfast, CCEA.