An Australian introducing Chinese culture to Tanzania

Tanzania does Tangrams

Today was the conclusion of the first series of seminars – 114 teachers from 32 different schools in 5 Wards of the Bukoba District have attended one of the 6 seminars.  The seminars have been held in primary school classrooms out in the wards using only materials the teachers will have available to them.  They have been aimed at mathematics teachers at Standards I to IV concentrating on exactly what they should be teaching and how they might teach the topic of fractions in a more child-friendly manner.

Children love to play

My job description talks about training and encouraging teachers to use participatory, child centred methods to teach mathematics – easy to say but not so easy to do with classes of 70 and upwards!  The Tz government is strong on the importance of education as the way ahead for Tanzania, one fifth of the national budget is spent on education and training; but schools still have very little in the way of resources and books to aid them in their mammoth task.  VSO’s policy of empowering people is important – I want to help teachers use what they have easily available to help each other and to help their students achieve improved mathematics skills.

Working with colleagues

Standard IV pupils do a set of exams in November that once were used to determine whether the child proceeded to Standard V – these days promotion is automatic but the National Exams remain to assess the performance of schools and teachers.

Doing the 'mock'

Pupils do ‘mock’ exams in Std IV (and VII) to prepare them for the National Exams.  One of the sessions in the seminars was to show teachers how to get the best value from these ‘mocks’.  Currently the only feedback teachers can give their students is a percentage score – the teachers get no feedback on which areas of the course they need to revise.  I have worked with the District Academic Officers and the District Inspectors to devise a Practice Exam and an analysis sheet to help each teacher target revision for the students in their class.  I hope increasing the feedback to teachers and pupils will improve the results in the National Exams – we’ll know next February if it’s made a difference!

Some teachers had fun

During our review visits teachers told me that one of the topics causing problems was Fractions  and that they found Geometry difficult to teach.  In response to this I have introduced TANGRAMS to Tanzania!  The teachers can now teach about fractions and fraction addition/subtraction in a way that children will find enjoyable, with the bonus that the tangram activity covers identification and drawing all the plane shapes required at Standard IV with the exception of the circle, and using much of the geometry vocabulary the children need.

Working right through 'break time'

Teachers worked collaboratively with their school colleagues completing each of the tasks – there was spirited discussion and plenty of laughter, especially as they tried to construct a giraffe from the tangram pieces.  Correcting each other’s Standard IV tests was also cause for discussion and laughter as they debated what answers should be considered correct.

Packing the car

The Useful Box

Teaching Aids

The previous VSO volunteers, Jim & Sue Taylor, worked with teachers on the production of teaching aids from the materials readily and cheaply available.  I have continued this program introducing a Roman Numbers card game with cards made from a calendar page, clocks and dice from wood and foam off-cuts. I hope all schools are now collecting bottle caps for counters. The teachers have been highly competitive in the card and dice games and agree that the children will enjoy them too. 

I hope to see some of the games in the Std I to IV classrooms when we start the next round of school visits; and if all has gone according to plan, maybe the Std V and VI teachers will be using Tangrams, cards and dice having been ‘in-serviced’ by their Std I – IV colleagues.


None of this would be possible without the support and assistance of Mr Josiah Karwihula from the BRDC - translator and problem solver extraordinaire!

Mr Josiah and me