Information Regarding Volunteer Teacher Placements.
In 2009 A-Z Children’s Charity has placements available for 46 teacher volunteers during the months of July and August.
The dates and placement breakdowns are as follows: -
1st July - 24th July
24th July- 14th August
A volunteer must commit to a minimum of three weeks and begin working on the first date of the placement.
TEACHERS PLACEMENTS
Teachers are urgently needed to teach in all the primary schools we support in Uganda. Irish primary school teachers can really make an impact with their work, especially in areas such as group work and positive reinforcement, which are not practices used in Uganda.
Teachers will be working in local primary schools. There are six schools presently available in Nansana. These schools include: -
- Little Diamonds Primary School (four places available)
- Jet Valley Primary School (four places available)
- St. Francis Primary School (four places available)
- Nansana Centre Primary School (two places available)
- Future Trust Academy (four places available)
- City Pride Primary School (two places available)
For the first time, we are also offering three teachers the opportunity to teach in Kasumbya Primary School in the district of Mubende. Kasumbya is a three hour drive from Nansana, where A-Z is based, and as such the placement is not available to everyone. Successful candidates will be well experienced in their field. They will be self motivated, independent and will have experience of working and living in a developing country.
DESCRIPTION OF SCHOOL SYSTEM.
The academic year runs from February until the end of November. They have December and January off- equivalent to our summer break.
The majority of schools in Uganda are private (including all the schools currently on the A-Z program in Nansana). There are around 75 private schools in Nansana. The children pay fees to cover their tuition and at least one meal a day in school. They must also buy uniforms, sports gear and stationary. These costs are met by the children’s families or by the A-Z Sponsorship Program.
Teaching and learning does differ somewhat to Ireland mainly due to practical reasons including: -
- Most learning is rote learning due to a shortage of text books.
- P.E. is done very early in the morning to avoid the midday heat.
- Children’s work is seldom displayed on the walls due to:-
- a shortage of resources
- the fact that positive reinforcement is not traditionally recognized as a method of teaching and learning
- classrooms are very exposed to the elements (dust and wind).
- Corporal punishment has been outlawed in Uganda for four years however it is still being phased out so you may witness some incidents.
- Large class sizes.
DESCRIPTION OF SYLLABUS AND CURRICULUM.
The curriculum itself reads similarly to the Irish curriculum however in teaching the main focus is on the three R’s. Subjects like art, drama and music, although on the curriculum, are sidelined due to compulsory state exams at the end of each year. It is necessary to pass these in order to progress to the next year. As a result of this there is a panic to study and work as much as possible. Part of your contribution will be to integrate these areas into the exam based subjects (i.e. using drama and art to aid oral language development).
To date, A-Z Volunteer Teachers have concentrated on teaching English reading, PE and Art. This year, we will be introducing science classes and are formalizing the inclusion of music at the end of lessons – in the form of song singing, action songs etc. We have also been requested by the Ugandan schools, to include a class about Ireland for their pupils once a week.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN IRISH VOLUNTEER TEACHER IN UGANDA
The academic standard of the children in Uganda is very high. The role of the Irish teacher can be largely based on contributing and facilitating teaching and learning through methods seen on the Revised Irish curriculum – for example group work, positive reinforcement etc. These methods do not seem to appear in the classroom in Uganda. The teachers are very forward thinking and open to practical suggestion.
THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN YOU ARE PLANNING A SCHEME OF WORK.
There can be up to 85 in a class, average classes have 50 pupils. Schools have very limited resources. Although A-Z will be providing some resources, the sustainability of our teaching throughout the year will be more likely if Ugandan teachers see results using a minimum of resources.
The subjects you will be teaching are: English, Art, P.E., Science and Music.
You will be required to give a workshop once during your placement. Workshops will be held in the library, one evening a week, and will be open to all teachers in the schools we work with in Nansana (arrangements will be made for those teaching in Mubende).The workshops will address a different subject each week and will give the Ugandan teachers more details on what we are teaching their pupils and the rationale behind the lessons.
BASIC TIMETABLE FOR THE WEEK.
You will be working four half days a week, Monday to Thursday, from 8am –1pm, in your placement school. You will spend one afternoon a week working on the Library Outreach Program. This involves going to the library to collect books and PE equipment directly after school and bringing them to Nansana Kisa Primary Schools – wings A & B or to two schools in Kasengejje. You will read / do reading activities for about an hour and then play games etc. for another hour. The books and equipment are then returned to the library.
Fridays will be spent on other programs run by A-Z Children’s Charity. These include the Exit Empowerment Program in Mende and Nansana. Cultural and social events will also be included, such as trips to Kasubi Tombs, eating lunch in restaurants run by some families previously on our Health Care Program and evenings out in Kampala.
Visits to Sanyu Babies Home, a home for abandoned babies, The Mukisso Foundation, a special school, and a walking tour of the village of Wamala – including a visit to a local Batik artist, Jonathon – will be organized for some of your afternoons.
You are obliged to teach, work on the Library Outreach Program and attend Friday activities. Other events, organized for the afternoons, are optional but I would encourage you to attend. They will give you a greater insight into life in Uganda and are, enjoyable experiences – if a little harrowing by times.
There may be times, due to safaris or gorilla trekking, when you will not be available to attend Friday events. This is fine as those trips have their own merit. Unfortunately though, as those accompanying / leading us have busy programs of their own, the events can not be rescheduled. Ours is a busy program and you probably will not get to do everything on offer. This is ok. However, please do not feel the need to include details of activities in your dept report which you did not get to personally attend. This is unfair to those who did.
There will be a weekly evaluation meeting for all teachers once a week for no longer than an hour. Brian Iredale, founder and Director of A-Z Children’s Charity, will speak to you for about an hour before the final evaluation meeting of your placement.
During your placement there will also be a social day planned for the children on our Sponsorship and Health Care Program. It will take the form of a day trip to the beach / theme park and a party on the library land. These days are organized by the nursing and general skills volunteers but we are welcome to go too.
During the last week of the second placement, the annual A-Z Children’s Charity Cup Challenge will take place. This is a soccer tournament for the schools we work with in Nansana. Each school fields both a girl’s and a boy’s team and they play in knockout stages until we have two winning teams remaining. This is great craic!
PRE- TRIP ORIENTATION.
A lot of preparation is done before you leave Ireland. This is necessary to ensure that you are prepared mentally for the trip and that you know what to do and what is expected of you the minute you arrive in Uganda. Although it always takes some time for every volunteer to adjust, A-Z Children’s Charity has found that volunteers who are well prepared in advance adapt easier in Uganda. For that reason, we place great importance on preparing every teacher for their placement.
The orientation schedule is as follows:-
November – March: Issuing of volunteer packs and correspondence via email with the Volunteer Teacher Coordinator.
April- Meet with the Volunteer Teacher Coordinator and other volunteer teachers and find out about the school you will be volunteering in. You will get a talk on the Ugandan school system and the syllabus. You will be introduced to the various subjects that will be taught and will be presented with an outline of information you should put together to ask the school you will be working in.
This is also a planning day where ideas for your placement will be put forward. These ideas will be put together in a teaching pack which you will get on arrival in Uganda.
A list of resources will be made. Sometimes, for one reason or another, resources will not be available in Uganda and ideas which work well here would not be practical out there. The Volunteer Teacher Coordinator will advise and inform you of these possible changes.
End of April- E-mail school, introducing yourself, what you would be interested in teaching and any other questions you may have. It may take a few e-mails before you understand fully what will happen in school.
ORIENTATION SCHEDULE IN UGANDA.
Your first day upon arrival in Uganda is a general orientation day. The first day spent in school is an observation day. You will get to meet all the staff, get a tour of the school and meet your link teacher. You will also discuss yours and their expectations of how you will spend your time in their school. These observation days are important as Ugandan classes are generally larger that in Ireland and they have less resources. It is important to see the school routine and how the pupils and teachers interact.
This is followed by your first day of actual teaching. Don’t panic! Finding your feet happens quicker than you think! Due to large class sizes, many volunteers have found Team Teaching to be useful. It gives you the support of another volunteer and affords the children some individual attention.
SUPPORT SYSTEMS AVAILABLE DURING YOUR VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT
- Weekly evaluation meetings take place with all the volunteer teachers to assess and record your progress.
- A-Z’s Volunteer Teacher Coordinator will visit you in school and at home and be available to you at any time should any issues arise.
- Daily or every second day evaluation meetings are organized with a Ugandan teacher assigned to you in your school. These meetings are designed to look at areas both you and the school are happy with and areas that may need attention.
FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS, THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE HAS AWARDED 5 EPV COURSE DAYS FOR DOING THIS VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT.
