Research - Case Studies
Ethiopia Teacher Professional Development:
Children's Home Society and Family Services
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia • 24-28 August 2009

Professional Development Summary:
Strategies, Methods, and Elements

Collaborative Learning was a key method throughout the week. This included Think-Pair-Share; working in small groups; modeling in a fishbowl setting; and many other collaborative learning techniques.

Community Building started each session with 20-30 minutes of community building exercises that were for the participants development as a community, and for the educators to use and develop the community in their classrooms and schools. After collaborating with the whole group to introduce a community exercise(s) and methods to build a collaborative team, we then practiced the methods in three smaller groups. A testament to their level of interest, focus on intentionality, understanding and collaboration was evident with their enthusiasm, and their interest in sharing personal community methods they had previously used. And how the participants embraced community and collaborative methods integrated throughout the sessions.

Demonstration Lessons with Students was conducted on Tue, Wed, and Thur. This provided participating teachers an opportunity to observe students using the same methods and techniques they had been learning. Additionally, this provided a platform to introduce the Collegial Coaching Model. A goal in the future is to have even more students representing a class (instead of twenty, forty students) to represent the countryside schools and state schools. This would encourage a deeper understanding of methods of collaborative learning to involve large classes. With school out of session, we were unable to find approximately forty students on short notice though Fekadu’s staff diligently tried. We will definitely have next time larger groups of students which is representative of ‘countryside’ and state schools.

Environment and Food provided the participants with an thoughtful learning atmosphere throughout the week which supports a successful professional development.

Frame of Reference to understand each others perspective(s). We did a variety of strategies and methods focusing on sharing and understanding each other’s perspectives. This includes creating a frame of reference for each person to learn about ourselves and each other, as well as how each visual Thinking Map can have a frame to understand different perspectives.

Inquiry (Socratic method) was a key element of the training – using methods to support an inquisitive classroom and encourage contributions from all students. The participants were introduced to and practiced Powerful Questions.

Intentionality – making choices with as a teacher was important throughout the whole training. One example of this includes a segment on classroom environment. All participants were gathered in a circle. We had approximately 24 chairs in the middle to represent student seating/desks. Some of the participants sat in the chairs to represent the students. The desks were positioned in one manner (e.g. rows) and the participants were provided a guiding question(s) of their observations on the structure using both statements and questions to consider the classroom structure before them. We then positioned the desks in another manner (e.g. half circle) and followed the same protocol. This was done in several more arrangements. The goal was having the teachers consider the structure and then make decisions based on their goals of the class – with intentionality.

Reflective Observations and Sharing by the participants were throughout each session as well as at the end of every workshop day. Facilitated reflective sessions provide peer to peer transfer of ideas between the participants and a deeper understanding of the participants for me the facilitator. This included a variety of methods and techniques that could also be used with students for deeper understanding and assessment of students.

Student’s Prior Knowledge is important for understanding students, student contributions, and student involvement with the learning process. Thinking Maps, Frame of Reference, reflective practices, collaborative learning techniques and Inquiry are all important methods and techniques that embrace student’s prior knowledge in the classroom.

Thinking Maps^® (visual tools) were introduced and used throughout the week developing a deep understanding of using visual tools (Thinking Maps). The visual tools are visual cognitive maps which provide tools to put form to regular cognitive processes we all use as thinking people (e.g. cause and effect; compare and contrast; analogies; sequencing; classifying; whole part relationships; attributes; defining in context/brainstorming). As the principal Fekadu noted, ‘I can use these maps to organize my life.’ After the maps were practiced, it was modeled how organizing one’s thinking with visual tools provides an excellent tool to produce more succinct and quality writing.