Rosa Mirembe Mushega Founder/Owner Teaching for Success
Teachers are in for a treat as education specialist Rosa Mirembe Mushega confirmed that every month she will be sharing research based 21st Century teaching strategies, to enable teachers to close the learning gaps for students in a campaign she calls 'Leave No Child Behind'.
Rosa, who is the founder of Teaching for Success NGO, says that the above strategies will be made accessible to educators on a monthly basis via this site (swiftnewsagency01.blogspot.com) free of charge. Yes, you read that right...she is determined to help improve Uganda’s education system in order to promote critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration, which are skills necessary for adapting to 21st century learning environments.
“You might think it is obvious that teachers know their students, but how well do they really know the young people sitting in their classrooms?”, asks Rosa Mirembe Mushega.
“In order to be an effective teacher, one has to get to know their students thoroughly. By this I mean that teachers don’t only have to know the academic strengths and needs of their students, but they also need to know the many factors in a student’s life that affect their learning. These factors include social-economic status, family dynamics, access to health care, adequate housing, good nutrition to mention but a few. It only takes a simple activity to get to know pertinent information that can help teachers support their students in an impactful and effective way,” states Rosa.
Teaching For Success has had a very powerful impact on the way teachers teach in schools, in addition to student academic achievement and wellbeing.
This has been confirmed by Eva, a student at Dade Nursery and Primary School. Eva is an extremely brilliant and hardworking student. Unfortunately, due to lack of a consistent income during the current COVID pandemic, Eva’s mother was not able to continue paying rent for housing or provide enough food for her children. She was forced to move into an overcrowded two room house. This was not an ideal situation for Eva and it started to affect her ability to focus in class, and as a result, her academic performance was drastically affected.
Four weeks into the school term Teaching For Success introduced a simple activity that teachers in Dade Nursery and Primary School could use to get to know their students. It came in the form of a simple question that students were presented with, and answered anonymously on a piece of paper. The question was, ‘What would you like your teachers to know about you that they don’t know already?’. Eva was one of the students who answered the question. The information about the students was collected by the teachers, and handed over to the school director, after they themselves had reviewed it. The school director read all the letters but was moved by one particular letter, and that was Eva’s letter. The director suspected that Eva had written the letter and called her to the school office to confirm her suspicions. Eva confirmed that it was her letter and narrated the difficult circumstances her family was facing.
Mrs. Tumuheirwe together with her close friends raised funds to accommodate Eva and her sister, and provided them with adequate accommodation that was close to their school. Mrs. Tumuheirwe later shared Eva’s plight with Teaching For Success Owner and Founder, Rosa Mirembe Mushega, who also contributed towards the upkeep of Eva and her sibling. Eva’s school administration would have never had the chance to support her if this simple activity aimed at teachers getting to know their students was not carried out. Eva’s grades have now improved tremendously. She is happy and so is her mum, knowing that her children don’t have to live in a crowded accommodation and are provided with good nutrition to support their learning.
Teachers who get to know their students thoroughly as individuals, can identify areas that impact their students’ learning. They can also seek solutions collaboratively with fellow staff members, directors and the greater community, to the problems faced by their students. This will result in a supportive, inclusive, respectful and accepting school community.
Teachers knowing their students will not only help improve student achievement and success in learning, but will also provide a safe space for students, when navigating tough times, which will encourage them to open up, and seek support when needed.
Look out for more research-based teaching strategies that Teaching For Success will be providing on a monthly basis to promote student achievement and success.
Look out next month for the next 21st Century strategy from Teaching For Success. Stay logged on!
Permission was given by Dade Nursery and Primary School as well as Eva and her mum to publish the details of this story.