On Saturday we travelled to Katoke, 40 minutes south of Bukoba, to the Katoke Teacher Training College, to participate in a workshop on making and using teaching aids.

Katoke TTC has been training teachers in the Kagera region for over 50 years.  It began as an Anglican college and in the past has had missionaries from Australia and New Zealand.  It is now a Tanzanian Government institution but among its staff are VSO volunteers who are currently contributing to giving the students a curious English accent – a mix of Scot and Lancastrian!

Rhona Brown, Scottish-speaking English Tutor at Katoke, organised the workshop, which was held in the wonderful college library. 

Sheila Rudd is the librarian and reason the students use “shoovels” when digging holes though I think she's from Manchester rather than Blackburn!

The library is a wonderful space. Built with Swedish money many years ago it is large and airy.  The College is justifiably proud of it.

As we were “setting up” the Principal Mr Lugalema found time to welcome us to the college before he headed off to town for a meeting.

Tables were arranged around the library and samples of teaching aids – flash cards, games, puppets and posters were spread out for the college students to peruse and play with.  Rhona had organised a roster so that students from each of the classes were allotted a time to come in – although it is nice to be ‘mobbed’ like a rock star it is easier to talk to smaller groups!

The sessions were optional, being held on a Saturday afternoon, but with BTP (teaching rounds) starting in a week the students seemed keen to get some extra ideas to try out in the classrooms at their practice schools.

Rhona had the students singing and dancing.  Action songs are terrific for teaching younger (and older!) students the vocabulary needed in both English and kiSwahili.  “Heads and shoulders, knees and toes” is a perennial favourite.  “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” was also popular, possibly because of the mask that went with being “Mr Wolf”.  Rhona also showed the students how to make puppets from wooden spoons, old socks and their thumbs.

Sheila had put out books from the college library collection that reinforced the participatory teaching and learning idea.

The teachers and students I have worked with believe, I’m sure, that all areas of mathematics can be better taught using cardboard box, bottle caps and string!  Plenty of that was in evidence on Saturday.

The college mathematics lecturer, Mr Stedius, came to lend his support and spent an hour or so of his time demonstrating the teaching aids to the students.  The Principal also returned while the workshop was in progress and is keen for a re-run that can be videotaped and kept as an instructional tool!

The afternoon was also a chance for me to promote “The Book”!  Copies will be given to the College library – Sheila expects to have students knocking down the doors in the rush to borrow them when they arrive next month – and the students will also be able to buy their own copy at the subsidised price.

Thanks again to all of you who have supported the project.