For the last year La Choza Chula has been working in partnership with Teachers2Teachers-International (T2T), a teacher training organisation based in the United States. With them, a group of teachers from El Paredón and Sipacate have been receiving training and attending workshops to develop their skills and methods of teaching mathematics, science and literature.
In November ten local teachers from El Paredón and Sipacate participated in a mathematics conference in Antigua. The teachers discussed how promoting the use of mathematical tools and objects found in the students’ environment would lead to a more meaningful learning experience for students. A huge thank you to the people who donated $450 to enable the teachers to attend the conference. T2T then returned to El Paredón in February to deliver two days of teacher training, workshops and class observations with 20 teachers from El Paredón and Sipacate.
The impact from these training events is already evident in that we have already begun workshops together with the primary and secondary school teachers to create educational materials and games with disposable materials. Through these workshops we seek to reduce the amount of rubbish that is generated in the area, whilst simultaneously creating education resources that are attractive and fun so that children have more motivation and enthusiasm when it comes to learning. Most impressively La Seño Elsy, the kindergarten teacher, has already begun to replicate these resources in her classroom, becoming a model for both her school and the entire municipality. As a result we are very proud to announce that Elsy has been invited to present these resources at the next Mathematics Conference that T2T will hold in Antigua. Congratulations Seño Elsy!
Ben Crisp and Maggie Delger with Minister for Education
Most recently, Education Manager, Maggie Delger and Communications Director, Ben Crisp, travelled to La Gomera for a teacher-training conference, after being invited to present here by the Administrator of Education for the Municipality, Eufrasia. Here, Maggie delivered a workshop to over 100 teachers and directors from kinder in the area, showcasing different ways of working with kindergarten students, with a higher emphasis on interactive learning, whilst simultaneously using resources found in the local area. These ways of working are already being used in El Paredón and it was great to see enthusiasm for our work in the wider area. As a result of the conference we have already been asked to deliver other workshops in schools across the municipality. Muchas gracias for hosting us and we look forward to more workshops in the future!
For more updates on the La Choza Chula education programmes, keep checking our Facebook page.