August 28, 2015
“What a gratifying and proud day. If you had asked me on Monday if our teachers were going to be able to present lesson plans using 21st century skills and digital technology (ICT as it is called here), I would have said, no way. With limited English and rudimentary computer skills on Monday, it was mind-blowing to watch how well these teachers were able to pick up the tools, philosophies, and then put it all together into well thought through lesson plans they can share with their students starting next week. We had teachers share lesson plans from simple 3rd-grade math to complex topics like democracy and economics. They did it all.
The most impressive student was Silvery. He is a new teacher with just about two years under his belt. His desire to learn is insatiable and ability to pick up the technology and concepts so quickly was incredibly impressive. He shared a lesson plan on States of Matter that literally almost made me cry. Trust me, I know that sounds silly. It’s just that before we came I had spent hours building a lesson plan on the exact same topic prior to our trip. He thought through and incorporated so many clever elements and technologies into his plan where students collaborated, tested their critical thinking, were creative, and communicated together. He truly has the gift of teaching and blew us all away…”